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 innocence of such children doesn't answer our deepest questions about this vale of tears to which we are condemned, but it helps to dispel them. That is the secret to family life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The purity of children's innocence may not solve life's profound issues, but it can alleviate them.
This quote by Joyce Carol Oates reflects on the complexity of human existence, often filled with suffering ('vale of tears'). While the innocence of children does not provide definitive answers to our more serious inquiries about life and its challenges, it offers a comforting perspective that can lighten our burdens. The essence of family life, as highlighted here, is found in embracing this innocence, which serves as a source of solace amidst the difficulties we face.
Themes
InnocenceFamilyLifeChildrenComfortBurden
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering, you could use this quote to highlight the importance of cherishing children's perspectives.
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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