QuoteProject
And of the Witch? In the life of a Witch, there is no "after", in the "ever after" of a Witch there is no "happily"; in the story of a Witch, there is no afterword. Of that part that is beyond the life story, beyond the story of the life, there is-alas, or perhaps thank mercy-no telling. She was dead, dead, and gone, and all that was left of her was the carapace of her reputation for malice.
Gregory Maguire
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the finality of life and the legacy one leaves behind, particularly in the context of societal perceptions of individuals labeled as 'Witches'.

This quote delves into the life and death of a witch, emphasizing the absence of a traditional 'happily ever after'. It presents the notion that the story of a witch does not conclude with a fairy-tale resolution, but rather highlights the remnants of her reputation, which may overshadow her true essence and experiences. This invites reflection on how society views individuals, especially those marginalized or misunderstood, and how their narratives conclude in the eyes of others.

Themes

WitchLegacyLifeDeathReputationStorytelling

In practice

Example use cases

Discussing the themes of legacy and reputation in a literature class.

More from Gregory Maguire

She watched the sun bleed water out of the icicle. Warm and cold working together to make an icicle. Warm and cold anger working together to make a fury, a fury worthy enough to use as a weapon against the old things that still needed fighting.
Gregory MaguireRead
The world rarely shrieks its meaning at you. It whispers, in private languages and obscure modalities, in arcane and quixotic imagery, through symbol systems in which every element has multiple meanings determined by juxtaposition.
Gregory MaguireRead
The further on we go, the more meaning there is, but the less articulable. You live your life and the older you get- the more specifically you harvest- the more precious becomes every ounce and spasm. Your life and times don’t drain of meaning because they become more contradictory, ornamented by paradox, inexplicable. The less explicable, the more meaning. The less like a mathematics equation (a sum game); the more like music (significant secret).
Gregory MaguireRead
Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.
Gregory MaguireRead
In the lives of children, pumpkins turn into coaches, mice and rats turn into men. When we grow up, we realize it is far more common for men to turn into rats.
Gregory MaguireRead
The moon rose, an opalescent goddess tipping light from her harsh maternal scimitar.
Gregory MaguireRead

Similar quotes

Truth is not a reward for good behaviour, nor a prize for passing some tests. It cannot be brought about. It is the primary, the unborn, the ancient source of all that is. You are eligible because you are. You need not merit truth. It is your own....Stand still, be quiet.
Sri Nisargadatta MaharajRead
If God can't get the attention of the church house, He's certainly not going to stop by the White House.
Tony EvansRead
The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.
Mark TwainRead
To narrate is to give oneself: it seems obvious that literature, as an effort to communicate fully, will continue to be blocked so long as misery and illiteracy exist, and so long as the possessors of power continue to carry on with impunity their policy of collective imbecilization through the mass media.
Eduardo GaleanoRead
War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
Don DelilloRead
These decrees of yours are no different from spiders' webs. They'll restrain anyone weak and insignificant who gets caught in them, but they'll be torn to shreds by people with power and wealth.
AnacharsisRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Gregory Maguire | QuoteProject