...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's face floated to mind, a pale, reproachful moon, at her last and first visit to the asylum since my twentieth birthday. A daughter in an asylum! I had done that to her. Still, she had obviously decided to forgive me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the complex emotional bond between a daughter and her mother, especially in the context of mental illness and forgiveness.
In this quote, Sylvia Plath expresses deep remorse and reflection on her relationship with her mother, particularly highlighting the pain and guilt associated with being in an asylum. The imagery of her mother's face as a 'pale, reproachful moon' evokes feelings of sadness and regret, while also hinting at the mother’s capacity for forgiveness despite the daughter’s circumstances. It encapsulates the struggles of familial bonds strained by mental health challenges and the longing for understanding and reconciliation.
Themes
MotherForgivenessAsylumGuiltMental Health
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the struggles of mental health and the impact on family dynamics.
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.
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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.
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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?
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I keep wanting to crawl back into the womb.
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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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