You know what they say: A woman needs a man about as much as a fish needs a bicycle.
Interpretation
This quote humorously suggests that a woman is independent and does not necessarily need a man to be complete.
Candace Bushnell's quote highlights the notion of female independence by comparing the need for a man to a fish needing a bicycle—something that is entirely unnecessary and even absurd. It challenges traditional views on relationships, emphasizing that women can thrive on their own without relying on a partner for fulfillment or identity.
In practice
In a discussion about women's rights and independence.
If a woman could take care of herself, would she still need a man? Would she even want one? And if she didn't want a man, what kind of woman would she be? Would she even be a woman? Because it seemed if you were a woman, the only thing you were really supposed to want was a man.
If I'm with a man, is that going to prevent me from achieving my goal? What sacrifices will I have to make in terms of being myself, if I'm with a man? Something that young women find out really quickly is that when you start dating, all of a sudden you're supposed to have a role. You're not allowed to just be yourself.
My parents had a great marriage. Interestingly, it made it harder for me in relationships because I knew what a good relationship looked like.
Whoever we are here, we might be princesses somewhere else. Or writers. Or scientists. Or presidents. Or whatever the hell we want to be that everyone else says we can't.
Unlike the sale of a commodity, the giving of a gift tends to establish a relationship between the parties involved. When gifts circulate within a group, their commerce leaves a series of interconnected relationships in its wake, and a kind of decentralized cohesiveness emerges.
Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good.
Because immigrants have always been particularly prone to repetition - it's something to do with that experience of moving from West to East or East to West or from island to island. Even when you arrive, you're still going back and forth; your children are going round and round. There's no proper term for it - original sin seems too harsh; maybe original trauma would be better.
I don't even know how to speak up for myself, because I don't really have a father who would give me the confidence or advice. And if you're always the new kid, you never get a chance to adapt, so your confidence is just zilch.
If you aren't gonna say exactly how and what you feel, you might as well not say anything at all.
Hazel has to realize that her mom was wrong when she said, “I won’t be a mother anymore.” The truth is, after Hazel dies (assuming she dies), her mom will still be her mom, just as my grandmother is still my grandmother even though she has died. As long as either person is still alive, that relationship survives. (It changes, but it survives.)
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