Riders of the Purple Sage (5-11)

A quote that I really liked from the reading that we did for today was on page 39, right after Venters realized that he shot a woman. Grey wrote, " He cursed himself and the unerring aim of which he had been so proud. He had seen that look in the eyes of a crippled antelope which he was about to finish with his knife. But in her it had infinitely more- a revelation of mortal spirit. The instinctive clinging to life was there, and the divining helplessness and the terrible accusation of the stricken."  

I just thought this was a good quote to not only depict Venter's character, but to also because it focuses on the girl's (Bess's) eyes and what Venters learns from them.  

Why did it matter to Venters that it was a woman? He felt that the masked rider was guilty prior to him learning tue gender of the rider, but after she was no longer guilty and he was. It just seems to be an important aspect of his character. 

Also, we talked about how we as the reader learn about Bess through Venters eyes, and I think that this quote shows how Venters is introduced to Bess the person. I also think that this quote is the start to Venters learning about her, not only through his questions, but through her body. Ultimately I think that through Bess's eyes Venters is finally starting to understand the truth behind everything that is happening. 

- Jessica Mitchell