If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
Isolation offered its own form of companionship: the reliable silence of her rooms, the steadfast tranquility of the evenings. The promise that she would find things where she put them, that there would be no interruption, no surprise. It greeted her at the end of each day and lay still with her at night.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Isolation can create a sense of companionship through peace and familiarity.
This quote by Jhumpa Lahiri reflects on the paradox of isolation as it can provide a comforting form of companionship. In moments of solitude, one finds reliability in their surroundings and a certain tranquility that comes without the unpredictability of social interactions, illustrating the complex emotions associated with being alone yet not feeling lonely.
Themes
IsolationCompanionshipSilenceTranquilitySolitudeReliability
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming loneliness, one might quote this to illustrate the peaceful side of solitude.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes →When I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
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When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
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I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
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The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
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