The Golden Goblet

“Heavy as a yoke, responsibility settled over Ranofer’s mind.”

Ranofer feels a sense of dread and a moral obligation to stop Ibni, demonstrating a strong sense of ethics. He is horrified that he has been part of Ibni’s scheme. This quote also exemplifies McGraw’s theme of doing the right thing and her use of figurative language.

“There was a moment’s awkward silence, during which Ranofer struggled without much success against the familiar frightened loneliness that had swept in again as through an opened door.” 

McGraw’s description expertly conjures a forlorn visual image of Ranofer’s isolation from others. Heqet touches a nerve with his questioning—something Ranofer avoids because his father’s death and new life are too painful to talk or think about.

“Now there was nothing. Less than nothing. Now there were hunger and beatings and this new, hideous suspicion about the wineskins.”

Ranofer describes the abuse he experiences in his new life with Gebu as one of pain, fear, and humiliation: the opposite of the happy life he led with Thutra. 

“He makes of me not only a thief but a coward.”

Ranofer is ashamed and angry at Gebu’s treatment and feels helpless to defy the powerful man. His self-talk, like this, is often negative and self-deprecating, signs of his abuse.

“Again he had behaved rudely to one whose friendship he most desired.” 

Ranofer’s inability to respond in kind to Rekh’s friendly comment reveals the emotional effects of Gebu’s abuse. He hesitates to let others get close to him and thinks negatively about himself.

“Well, friend, I fear I must leave you now, as the hare remarked to the hunter.” 

Clever and irrepressible, Heqet has a huge repertoire of droll jokes like this one that helps bring Ranofer out of his shell, make him smile, and cement the boys’ friendship.

“You need not worry, Ranofer. I know how to keep my lips sealed.”

Friendship is one of the novel’s central themes. Heqet senses that Ranofer has trouble trusting others and assures him that he is trustworthy. In so doing, he also reassures Ranofer that they are friends.

“Murder of the soul was a terrible, unnatural crime, hideous to think about.”

Ranofer reveals how integral Egyptian religious beliefs are to his daily life. One’s ba continues in the afterlife, and robbing the tomb could harm or kill the spirit. Ranofer’s repugnance toward the crime foreshadows and later informs his drive to stop Gebu.

“You have wisdom as well as youth. A most unusual combination.”

The Ancient praises Ranofer’s decision not to watch the execution, a choice that sets him apart from the crowd and reveals his sensitivity and maturity.

“I do not know myself as apprentice to a stonecutter. I do not even wish to…” 

Ranofer is embarrassed and self-conscious to be working at the stonecutting shop at a craft he feels is unskilled and beneath his abilities. It is a blow to his dreams, pride, and sense of self. Ranofer feels divorced from his true self and destiny.

“It’s stupid to waste pity on your friends, who do not need it.”

Ranofer almost fights with Heqet, believing that Heqet is giving him food out of pity. He resents what he sees as Heqet’s pity, which makes him feel inferior. His angry reaction reveals his pride and insecurity.

“Remember, young one, you will be an old one too someday, though it is hard for you to think so now.”

The Ancient wishes he had had the security of knowing a craft—any craft—when he was younger. His counsel to see life’s bigger picture sinks in for Ranofer, who recognizes that at least stonecutting will provide a living when he is a man.

“Daydreams had lost some of their old power; these days reality kept creeping in and ruining them with stony facts.”

Ranofer shows his growing maturity and sense of realism—albeit slightly fatalistic—by reluctantly applying himself to stonecutting. McGraw’s comparison of Ranofer’s beautiful daydreams to the reality of his new job is a figurative contrast between gold and stone.

“You must reshape your life into some other form. When you have done this, come to me again, and I will teach you.” 

Zau’s advice to Ranofer encapsulates the novel’s themes of self-discovery and coming of age. Just as he dreams of shaping gold into something beautiful, he also needs to take charge of his destiny despite seemingly unsurmountable obstacles before he can achieve his heart’s desire.

“I am as great a bumbler as I am a coward.”

Ranofer’s frequent negative internal dialogue vies for dominance with his pride and hopes. Though self-deprecatory, he uses this speech to spur himself to greater efforts, a sign of his perseverance.

“Because I was trying to learn your hateful trade!”

Ranofer stands up to Gebu after the stonecutter beats him for asking about the scroll. His angry outburst shows his growing feelings of frustration and rebellion against Gebu’s control, even though he is not physically a match for the stonecutter and knows he will face reprisals.

“The thing he could not speak of hung over the little green room like an invisible presence, ruining, it seemed to Ranofer, everything he did speak of.”

Secrets, such as Ranofer keeping his knowledge of the goblet from his friends, can be toxic. Ranofer feels guilty for not confiding in Heqet and the Ancient. The secret, and his guilt, make him retreat again into his shell.

“He hated most the feeling that the evil had spread like a plague to himself.”

Ranofer again reveals his strong sense of morality. He feels tainted by Gebu’s crime because he feels he lacks the courage to speak out against Gebu. His inaction is another source of guilt and self-recrimination.

“He was Ranofer, son of Thutra, who loved his pharaoh and the gods of Egypt and wanted to be free.”

Ranofer articulates his self-understanding and recognizes the important influences on his moral code: his lineage, his country, and his religion. He knows that freedom from abuse is the only path to controlling his own destiny.

“You’re too young and I’m too old for such a venture, little one, but he’s got nobody else.”

Despite their limited capabilities, the Ancient knows that he and Heqet are Ranofer’s only friends and the only ones who care about him. The fact that he and Heqet risk themselves to help Ranofer illustrates the power of friendship.

“On he went, trying to forget the danger in which he had placed his dearest friends.”

The novel’s emphasis on the importance of friendship is evident as, knowing the danger Heqet and the Ancient face, Ranofer realizes at last exactly how valuable their friendship is to him.

“So I am to die, he thought furiously. So be it, I will die now, at once, and not wait for Gebu’s help. But first I will yell out some of it, some of it!” 

Ranofer courageously continues to do the right thing and combat evil even in the face of death. He is willing to sacrifice himself to stop Gebu’s greedy sacrilege and stand up for his country and values.

“Ranofer, the son of Thutra, all is well in the tomb of my beloved parents because of you and your courage.”

Queen Tiy acknowledges Ranofer’s courage. Her praise is “music” to Ranofer, who has dreamed of serving the Queen through his craft. He knows that his bravery and strong moral compass have helped him achieve his dreams.