Rein (noun) : a strap fastened to a bit by which a rider or driver controls an animal —usually used in plural

The Shawl by Louise Erdrich

“As the uncle slapped the reins and the horse lurched forward, the boy tried to jump into the wagon, but his mother pried his hands off the boards, crying, Gego, gego, and he fell down hard.”

This statement explains that the wife, Aanakwad falls in love with other man and after giving birth to his child, she tries to run away from her home and she leaves her son behind as she takes her daughter and newborn baby with her on the wagon.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rein

Sullen (adjective) : gloomily or resentfully silent or repressed, suggesting a sullen state : lowering 

The Shawl by Louise Erdrich

“Her name was Aanakwad, which means cloud, and like a cloud she was changeable. She was moody and sullen one moment, her lower lip jutting and her eyes flashing, filled with storms.”

In this story, the women whose name is Aanakwad is very bad-tempered women. Her mood changes very quickly from good mood to bad mood. However, her husband loves her no matter who she is but he is also afraid of her when she gets angry.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sullen

Plaid (noun) : a rectangular length of tartan worn over the left shoulder as part of the Scottish national costume.

The Shawl by Louise Erdrich

“Soon, she couldn’t rise to cook or keep the cabin neat, and it was too much for the girl, who curled up each night exhausted in her red-and-brown plaid shawl, and slept and slept, until the husband had to wake her to awaken her mother, for he was afraid of his wife’s bad temper, and it was he who roused Aanakwad into anger by the sheer fact that he was himself and not the other.”

This statement explains how the wife is very tough women and has a bad temper. Therefore, she got tired of the housework and she gets covered to her plaid material shawl and tries to relax for a long time. When her husband notices it and she gets very annoyed with him.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaid

Dandelion (noun) : any of a genus (Taraxacum) of yellow-flowered composite herbs with milky sap; especially : one (T. officinale) sometimes grown as a potherb and nearly cosmopolitan as a weed

The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick

” On the other side of the steel fence, far away, there were green meadows speckled with dandelion and deep-colored violets; beyond them, even farther, innocent tiger lilies, tall, lifting their orange bonnets.”

This statement describes Rose’s pain about that her daughter will die and she has no choice and let her go otherwise they all would die.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dandelion