The ant attack that happens at the Price's village reveals a lot about each and every character within the Price family. Orleanna especially faces a major trial: she must choose between two of her daughters (Ruth May, and Adah) which to save.
Adah says, "Only my mother stood still. There she was, planted before me in the path, rising on thin legs out of the rootless devouring earth. In her arms, crosswise like a load of kindling, Ruth May. She studied me for a moment, weighing my life, then nodded, shifted the load in her arms, turned away." In the end, Orleanna was forced to make a choice of which daughter she valued more and which one was more valuable to save. As the reader, it seems almost unforgivable to leave one of your children behind, but at the same time Orleanna couldn't physically carry both girls. But is it fair to leave the crippled child behind to fend for herself? Is it fair to favor the youngest? Why didn't she try to save both girls? Did Orleanna make the right decision? And what would we readers do in that situation? The answers to these questions will vary from person to person depending on their morals and their opinions, but one thing is for sure: the depths of Orleanna Price's personality were revealed through this dramatic event.
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