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
Where there must be a choice, a girl will choose Daddy. Even if you are Mommy, you concede that this must be so: you remember when you were a girl, too.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the bond between daughters and their fathers, suggesting that girls have an innate preference for their fathers during key choices.
Joyce Carol Oates highlights the complex emotional landscape of familial relationships, particularly the unique bond between fathers and daughters. This quote reflects on the idea that, in moments of choice, a girl often feels a strong inclination to turn to her father, which mothers can understand as they too once experienced similar feelings. It suggests a universal truth about the special connection that often exists between daughters and their dads, rooted in affection and support.
Themes
FatherDaughterFamilyRelationshipsBond
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a family reunion, one could quote this to emphasize the importance of a father-daughter relationship.
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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