Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power to make of us not simply victims, as nature and accident do, but active accomplices.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evil can be alluring and can turn individuals into willing participants rather than mere victims.
This quote by Joyce Carol Oates explores the complex nature of evil, suggesting that it is not merely something to be feared or repelled, but can also be attractive and seductive. It highlights the idea that individuals have the capacity to engage with evil, becoming active participants in harmful actions rather than just passive victims of circumstance, thus illuminating the darker aspects of human nature and morality.
Themes
EvilAttractionMoralityHuman NatureAccomplices
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the nature of evil in a philosophy class.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes →I never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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When I go to hell, I mean to carry a bribe: for look you, good gifts evermore make way for the worst persons.
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