Lina

Lina is an Indian woman in 17th centruy America. Her people's village was destroyed when she was girl. She is different than many other of "her type" because she is Catholic yet she still believes there is something better.She lives on Vaark's land as a servant and very soon becomes good friends with Rebekah Vaark.

~" A praying savage, neighbors call her, because she is churchgoing yet she bathes herself every day and Christians never do. Underneath she wears bright blue beads and dances in secret at first lights when the moon is small. (pg. 5)

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While she tries to assimilate, as many Native Indians tried or were forced to do at the time, she wants to keep her culture alive, especially since it was all burned away at a young age.

I'~" He mystified Lina. All Europes did. Once they terrified her, then they rescued her. Now they simply puzzled her." (pg 51)

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Because of her encounters with the Europens, Lina does not know whether to like them or not. Not to mention that she is naturally untrustworthy.

~" They named her Messalina, just in case, but shortened it to Lina to signal a sliver of hope. Afraid of once more losing shelter, terrified of being alone in the world without family, Lina acknowledged her status as heathen and let herself be purified by these worthies." (pg. 55)

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She was willing to be molded and changed if it meant she would be a part of something. Lina wants to be attached to something, and because she does nit have any family, this religious group.

~" The shame of having survived the destruction of her families shrank with her vow never to betray or abandon anyone she cherished." (pg. 57)

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Because of this vow she makes she is shown as trustworthy and reliable. However this vow also makes her wary of new people that come in between her and her loved ones like Florens.

~" The blacksmith [...] Lina was afraid of him." (pg. 112)

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Lina knew that it was not normal for a man to be of the blacksmith's complexion and not be enslaved. She is scared of things that are not the way they should be. Not to mention the fact that this blacksmith might be the one to tear her and Florens apart.

~" Only Lina was steady, unmoved by any catastrophe as though she has seen and survived everything." (pg. 117)

~" From theno on it was clear to Twin, if not to Sorrow, that Lina ruled and decided everything Sir and Mistress did not. Her eye was everywhere even when she was nowhere." (pg. 144)

Lina likes order. She likes for things to be orderly especially on the Vaark's land.

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~"...Lina continued to do her work carefully, calmly, but Scully disagreed, said she was simmering. Like green apples trembling in boiling water too long, the skin near to breaking, needing quick removal, cooling before mashed into a sauce." (pg. 171)

~" Lina is able to hide her stress and anger very well. However the fact that it says she is "boiling" means that she is going to pop quickly and it is going to be ugly.

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~" Her loyalty, he believed, was not submission to Mistress or Florens; it was a sign of her own self-worth--a sort of keeping one's word.Honor perhaps." (pg. 178)