“Spiders won’t hurt you. They catch flies and mosquitos and all kinds of other insects. […] The bug gets caught in those strands and the spider eats it. It sucks out the blood.”

This quote depicts Lucia’s perspective of the dynamic between her and Miranda. Lucia views Miranda as the spider, trapping her in a web and stealing her blood. This metaphor reoccurs later when Lucia simultaneously speaks to Miranda and the spider, discussing how it’s trying to “capture” her—or send her back to the hospital, in Miranda’s case.

“‘Take care of my daughter,’ she said. But she was not looking at him. She was looking at me. She fell asleep. Two weeks later, she was gone.”

From an early age, Miranda has been expected to care for Lucia. As Lucia gets married, the sisters’ mother reminds Miranda of this responsibility. She is telling Miranda that Lucia will always be her responsibility, even if she is married and has a family of her own. This sets up the dynamic of Balancing Self-Care and Family Obligations.

“My sister was officially a newlywed. A wife. It came to me suddenly, as a blunt ache inside - I’d never felt more alone.”

Miranda contemplates her own happiness as she watches her sister celebrate. She realizes that she has always placed her sister’s needs above her own, devoting herself to familial obligation rather than pursuing self-care. With someone else around who can care for Lucia, Miranda is at a loss for what to do with her own life.