I searched the symbolism of clay in bible and found this: There are several instances given in the Bible referring to clay. In Job 33:6 it states: I also am formed out of the clay. In Psalm 40:2, there is a reference to the “miry clay” symbolizing our lives before we were saved. In one of the miracles of Christ we find a reference to clay being made and put upon the eyes of the blind man (see John 9:6,11,14,15).

Does this mean Maria is still not saved? Does this relate to the intimacy between her and Joe?

So far, all characters are female, and the female notions, such as mother, common woman, "shyness", marriage are mentioned.

A proverb from Bible: Proverbs 1:10-14 – Many young men “sow their wild oats” and spend the rest of their lives paying the consequences.

Interesting analogy to say that Mrs. Mooney is very sharp and perhaps merciless when dealing with moral issues.

This is an interesting analogy... Is it respectful to use this adjective before madonna in a religious context?

Eveline thinks about "could she still draw back", instead of "why she should draw back". So in some sense staying with her family is a very convincing reason for her to stay.

I remember seeing description of face color in "Araby" and "An Encounter" too.

Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients.

Is brown here just a description of the face's color, or skin color?

This description is very weird... How can a whipping be nice and warm, just because of his intention?

An interesting way to say someone is approaching.

This contradicts with the description of the corpse earlier.

At the beginning of the novel, he describes paralysis as something that "sounded to [him] like the name of some maleficent and sinful being". It's interesting that he uses "JJ and JJ" to describe paralysis.

Mr. Cotter likes "..." so much.

paralysis is a symptom of stroke (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113)

Reading this metaphor gives me the feeling of how exhausted he is. It also shows the la k of support for him.

This format of title reminds me of “her first ball”. It turns out that Leila’s first ball is also her last ball. This makes me wonder feel ideal will implies something not so ideal in the article.

At the end, Leila's attitude toward dancing changed and aligned with "strange faces" that she saw at the beginning of her ball. The first ball might as well be the last ball for Leila.

It's interesting and also surprising to see that despite all these new, luxurious settings in the ball, the fat man's words are su persuasive to Leila.

Both pineapple and melon are not native to Europe (pineapple is from tropic regions, melons are native to central Asia). It seems that even though Williams doesn't necessarily like or can afford imported goods, he think these are must-have for the kids as gifts.

This new Isabel sounds more interested in material goods. "Dear" and "I'm sure you did!" sounds a little more sophisticated and superior than William.

This sentence sounds a little negative. Is globalization causing a negative impact on him, so that he cannot afford toys?

This description makes me feel very robotic as if she is emotionless, not totally autonomous and takes a lot of time to process information. But at the same time she ignores people, which makes me feel she is just really confused and lost.

Who's her here? Is it referring to Mrs. Raddick's daughter? Why is it in "--"?

This description makes this part sounds like a fairytale

Why does Constantia use "crucified" here, after she just talked about the Buddha? Does she believe in Buddhism but had to hide it due to her father?

Is their mother died while the Colonel is in Ceylon/Indian?

The watch also appeared in the narrative about their father's death, when Nurse Andrews staring at his watch.

Was there an introduction of Benny before this point? Who is Benny?

Josephine and Constantia are fearful of their father; but at the same time, the funeral still sounds like a task to me instead of an emotional ceremony.

They seems not care about their father or the funeral that much? So far, it feels they just want to avoid loneliness and take care of their father's death as a task.

Why is communion capitalized?

In the description of the Colonel and also here, eyes are described with details. I'm curious to see if "eye" is a motif through the story.

Does this angry emotion come from Nurse Andrews?

Is Nurse Andrews just a nurse who serves the family, or does she have more personal relationships with the Colonel? This description sounds very intimate.

The conversation between the two daughters gives a feeling of anxiety and chaos, and they don't agree with each others. Each of them have their own thoughts in mind.

Pretentious praise for the party sounds heartless too.

Even within the family, mother's authority is absolute for Laura.

The language they use is very disrespectful. Even though they are neighbors, it seems that they are very segregated and unsympathetic.

Is "they" referring to a specific group of people?

The most frequent time in the novel is night, which matches the diamond's name "Moonstone"

This ending make me feel Betteredge becomes a more reliable narrator than he was in the beginning. His tone is more formal, and there are more recording of conversations instead of writing about himself.

Ezra Jennings really don't want Mr. Blake to distress from addiction. He is very emotional toward Mr. Blake: he felt happy seeing him be together with Rachel, and don't want to distress him. He sees Mr. Blake as a close friend who fight addiction too, and maybe want all the things he couldn't have anymore on him.

Why Ezra Jennings want Mr. Blake and Rachel to be together? Is this a motivation for him to help conduct the experiment?

Seeing Ezra taking care of Mr. Blake and want him to be with Rachel reminded me of Miss Clack. It's a clear contrast that Miss Clack cared more about herself, whereas Ezra is more genuine and benevolent.

It's interesting to see how Mr. Jennings tried to make the experiment as scientific as possible.

Because of quitting smoking, Mr. Blake suffering from insomnia- so did Mr. Candy made Mr. Blake take opium without his consent?

Are the flowers an analogy to Ezra Jennings' multiracial background?

Mr. Bruff still suspect Rosanna for stealing the diamond.

I wish Rosanna had explicitly checked with Mr. Franklin about her hypothesis that Mr. Franklin is the thief...

Moss rose is native to South Asia; dog rose is native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Does this have an analogous meaning to cultures?

Sergeant Cuff loves rose. it reflects Rosanna's story.

The comparison of stone and human is very interesting. I wonder if the stone here is analogous to the Moonstone as well.

Both musk and camphor have an Asian origin

Why the Me is capitalized? What's the rule for capitaization instead of italicization?

Melancholy appeared many times to describe Sergeant Cuff. Wondering if personality words like this can be studied computationally.

Why there is a crackling of a fire in a room?

Latin phrase for "note well" appeared again

Is this a metaphor related to women's appearance, as before this they mentioned about Rosanna's appearance and her love for Mr. Franklin?

Why the lady is so sensitive at seeing the Sergeant Cuff? And why she demands Betteredge to stay instead of other people that she trust, such as Mr. Franklin or Miss Rachel?

What's the secret between Ms. Rachel and Mr. Franklin? Is it related to the Moonstone?

Mentions the cultural difference between Eastern and Western culture. Caste system vs. class, seems like they have inequality in different ways.

The jugglers are willing to sacrifice their class to chase the Moonstone, but Mr. Franklin and other British characters cherish the Moonstone as an accessory of their high class. It shows that the motivation for chasing the Moonstone must be strong and also beyond class and wealth for the three jugglers.

Before this description, I thought Betteredge as very religious. Why he seems not understand and don't care about Mr. Godfrey's words about religion? What does he mean by the mischief that Mr. Godfrey keep it all to his lady and himself?

Mr. Godfrey seems like the only character that doesn't care about the commercial value of the Moonstone so far.

When Betteredge first introduce Mr. Franklin, he used varnish as an analogy to describe Mr. Franklin's education abroad. I'm wondering if varnish has any symbolistic meaning associated with Mr. Franklin?

Does this show that he is interested in mysticism? Does the Moonstone attract him to do so?

I feel Betteredge has shown a lot of biased and disrespectful judgement about women, even though he himself was trying to portray himself as an innocent old man.

Rosanna seems ruminate and blame on herself heavily for her past.

The author delays 4 times so far on getting to the core of the mystery. I'm wondering if this shows him as a disorganized narrator, or is he hiding some information?

The narrator need a stick. While his previously describes himself as a men turning seventy, who "possess an active memory, and legs to correspond", from this paragraph he seems more fragile and helpless.

Another documented evidentiary is the diary from the narrator's daughter, Penelope.

Building on the prophecy of the Moonstone at the beginning of the chapter, suffering could possibly be a theme that connect plots and characters throughout the stories.

Through this paragraph, the author talks about the uniqueness of the moonstone as the only one escaped from the rapacity, and shows the spiritual myth behind the Moonstone. I feel it makes the moonstone more mysterious. The deity's prediction that disasters will happen to the ones who laid hands on the sacred gem lays a foundation for the rest of the story related to stealing the Moonstone. It also stimulates curiosity for the readers to test whether this sacred dream will be validated by the story or not.