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
'The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not only of poor and immigrant workers but of their young children in factories and mills - and as the consequence of race hatred in the aftermath of the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the impact of social injustice stemming from class division and racial hatred after the Civil War.
Joyce Carol Oates’ quote highlights the critical themes of social injustice that arise from the stark divide between social classes, particularly the exploitation of impoverished and immigrant workers, along with their children, in harsh industrial environments. It also points to the racial animosities that persisted following the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people, shedding light on how these societal issues continue to perpetuate a cycle of injustice and inequality.
Themes
Social JusticeClass DivisionExploitationRace HatredCivil War
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about economic inequality during a social studies 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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