...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.
Sylvia PlathRead
My mother had taught shorthand and typing to support us since my father died, and secretly she hated it and hated him for dying and leaving no money because he didn't trust life insurance salesmen.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggles and sacrifices a mother makes for her family after the loss of her husband.
In this poignant reflection, Sylvia Plath reveals the complexity of grief and obligation through her mother's experience after the father's death. The mother's resentment towards her deceased husband stems from the financial burden left in his absence, highlighting the challenges faced by single parents who must navigate the weight of responsibility while grappling with personal sorrow and vulnerability related to both love and loss.
Themes
MotherGriefSacrificeLossFamilyFinancial Burden
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about perseverance, I might say, 'As Sylvia Plath noted about her mother, sometimes we must face challenges with resilience.'
More from Sylvia Plath
All quotes →The hardest thing, I think, is to live richly in the present, without letting it be tainted & spoiled out of fear for the future or regret for a badly-managed past.
Sylvia PlathRead
It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative--which ever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.
Sylvia PlathRead
You walked in, laughing, tears welling confused, mingling in your throat. How can you be so many women to so many people, oh you strange girl?
Sylvia PlathRead
I keep wanting to crawl back into the womb.
Sylvia PlathRead
It's the living, the eating, the sleeping that everyone needs. Ideas don't matter so much after all. My three best friends are Catholic. I can't see their beliefs, but I can see the things they love to do on earth. When you come right down to it, I do believe in the freedom of the individual.
Sylvia PlathRead
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There is no job more important than parenting. This I believe.
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