Ruth and Lucille's splitting as coming of age

At the beginning of Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, Ruth and Lucille are of one mind. The sisters do everything together, and Ruth constantly addresses the both of them with “we”, causing us to think of them as one entity rather than two separate people. At first, I thought Ruth and Lucille would end up like Lily and Nona just because they mirrored the same “one person” sister dynamic, but I was surprised when Ruth and Lucille began to grow apart.

I believe it’s safe to say that Sylvie has a significant role in causing a shift of the dynamic between Ruth and Lucille. Before with Lily and Nona, Ruth and Lucille were younger and didn’t really have as much freedom or exposure to reflect on themselves or what they wanted. But that changed when Sylvie came in, someone with a completely different lifestyle which enables Ruth and Lucille to see what it’s like to live a more transient lifestyle and whether they want to live like that as well. Both sisters react very differently to this new exposure. Ruth is fascinated by Sylvie’s lifestyle; she describes odd things Sylvie does but makes them sound normal. One of the many examples is when Sylvie attempts to clean the house: “She soaked all the tea towels for a number of weeks in a tub of water and bleach. She emptied several cupboards and left them open to air, and once she washed half the kitchen ceiling and a door.” Reading this part I was so confused how weirdly Sylvie was cleaning, but Ruth does not seem to have any problem with it. Lucille on the other hand does not appreciate Sylvie’s lifestyle. When Sylvie, Lucille, and Ruth are together about to play more crazy eights, Lucille desires to "wade up to higher ground and walk around until we find someone." She realizes she does not like living the way she is so she leaves the house and doesn't come back.

Lucille and Ruth splitting apart I believe is very significant in terms of coming of age. As children, they were these two sisters who did the same things, but as they grew older they learned what they wanted and went with it. Splitting causes the two sisters to ultimately find their their own paths and become independent.