“The Sanlagitans are certain the mountain calls to them. They die trying to answer. They attempt journey after journey. They are pushed by their faith, not knowing that they believe in the wrong things.”

These words in the prologue can only be understood in retrospect. The Sanlagitan people have put all their faith in strong male figures. Their contempt for women prevents them from seeing that there are more important virtues in life than brute strength. A small girl’s compassion is the strongest force for effecting positive change in their world.

“Very few men were selected by the menyoro to sail for Isa, where all of life’s good fortunes were said to be, and these men were the strongest, cleverest, or most skilled. The men most likely to survive. But they never did.”

The folly of the Sanlagitans’ tactics is seen in this quote. They assume that Isa can be reached only by tough men. These expeditions fail repeatedly, yet the menyoro continues to send men to their deaths. It is clear that a different approach is necessary, but nobody is ready to take it.

“There’s something not right about the Yuzis. That girl’s got ideas in her head. And the boy’s so useless, he may as well be a girl. A boy who’s afraid of his own feet will never become a man.”

The villagers make this comment about Veyda and Hetsbi. Veyda is a healer who is constantly experimenting with medicinal plants to help her people, yet this gift is rejected because girls aren’t supposed to think in Veyda’s society. Hetsbi is gentle and kind, yet his goodness is rejected in favor of the bullying behavior that is expected of men in their culture.