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
I'm nobody's daughter now. I'm through with that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker asserts independence from familial or social ties.
In this quote, Joyce Carol Oates expresses a strong declaration of self-identity, indicating a departure from previously defined roles as a daughter. It reflects a sense of liberation and personal autonomy, suggesting the speaker has moved beyond the expectations or constraints associated with familial relationships.
Themes
IndependenceIdentitySelfLiberationRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on personal growth, I could use this quote to emphasize the importance of self-identity.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes βI 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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If you close your eyes and think about where you feel the most safe, you're probably not going to tell me it's in a room full of police. You feel safe where you're around people that love you, when you have food and shelter, when you're being pushed to be your best self and learn.
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They are more to me than life, these voices, they are more than motherliness and more than fear; they are the strongest, most comforting thing there is anywhere: they are the voices of my comrades.
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Somewhere in his body--perhaps in the marrow of his bones--he would continue to feel her absence.
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