The Birth House

Dora Rare, narrating in first person, explains that her house “stands at the edge of the earth” and has remained strong “against the churning tides of Fundy” (vii). Like the house, Dora is also strong and stubborn. Dora’s father, Judah Rare, built the house as a wedding present for her in 1917. Her father and his brothers were shipbuilders and used their skills in carpentry to build the farmhouse to last, despite its proximity to the sea.

Like the house, the people who live in the Bay need “strength and a sense of knowing” to survive (vii). Due to the harsh weather and conditions by the ocean, the “men did whatever they had to do to get by,” including building ships, being fishermen, hunting in the woods, and working the sparse fields as farmers (vii). While the men fight with the weather and the sea, “the women tended to matters at home” (ix). They trade among themselves for what they need. They teach one another essential life skills like knitting and cooking. They also attend church religiously and pray for their husbands.

The women are also superstitious, believing in the power of