If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
They were things for which it was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend. Things that should never have happened, that seemed out of place and wrong, these were what prevailed, what endured, in the end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on life events that are difficult to understand and accept, highlighting their lasting impact.
In this quote, Jhumpa Lahiri conveys the idea that there are significant events in our lives that catch us off guard and leave us grappling with their implications for a long time. These moments are often contradictory and unsettling, yet they tend to stay with us, shaping our experiences and perspectives as we seek to make sense of what has occurred.
Themes
LifeEventsAcceptanceUnderstandingEndurance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about overcoming adversity and the importance of reflection.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes βWhen I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
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When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
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The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
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