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I should say, one of the things about being a widow or a widower, you really, really need a sense of humor, because everything's going to fall apart.
Joyce Carol Oates
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Humor is essential for coping with loss and the chaos of life as a widow or widower.

In this quote, Joyce Carol Oates emphasizes the importance of maintaining a sense of humor in the face of grief and the challenges that come with being a widow or widower. She highlights how life can become overwhelming after losing a spouse, and humor serves as a vital tool for navigating the difficulties and emotional turmoil during such a time.

Themes

HumorGriefLossWidowWidowerCoping

In practice

Example use cases

During a support group meeting for those who have lost a spouse, this quote can be shared to highlight the importance of laughter in healing.

More from Joyce Carol Oates

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
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. . . 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.
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