She had been wrong to think it wouldn't matter that much to him, yes,He took her for granted, of course he did , but he took her for granted - not like an old coat in the corner of a dark cupboard, as she'd put it to herself , but like the very air that he breathed .
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the importance of appreciation in relationships, highlighting how taking someone for granted can be deeper than neglect.
In this quote, Ahdaf Soueif conveys a poignant message about the often-unseen emotional dynamics in relationships. The speaker realizes that being taken for granted can manifest in profound ways, akin to how one perceives the essentiality of air. This emphasizes that neglect in a relationship, even if it appears subtle, can lead to feelings of invisibility and unimportance, suggesting that acknowledgment and appreciation are vital for mutual respect and love.
In practice
During a conversation about relationship dynamics, one might use this quote to illustrate the subtle ways in which partners can overlook each other's needs.
I haven't come to you only to take , I haven't come to you empty handed : I bring you poetry as great as yours but in anther tongue , I bring you black eyes and golden skin and curly hair , I bring you Islam and Luxor and Alexandria and Lutes and tambourines and date-palms and silk rugs and sunshine and incense and voluptuous ways
It is that happy stretch of time when the lovers set to chronicling their passion. When no glance, no tone of voice is so fleeting but it shines with significance. When each moment, each perception is brought out with care, unfolded like a precious gem from its layers of the softest tissue paper and laid in front of the beloved — turned this way and that, examined, considered.
It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to have a soul to unburden yourself to. You know what I mean. I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.
We don't do enough to help older people recognize how much they matter.
I’m not sad, but the boys who are looking for sad girls always find me. I’m not a girl anymore and I’m not sad anymore. You want me to be a tragic backdrop so that you can appear to be illuminated, so that people can say ‘Wow, isn't he so terribly brave to love a girl who is so obviously sad?’ You think I’ll be the dark sky so you can be the star? I’ll swallow you whole.
Dona Crista laughed a bit. "Oh, Pip, I'd be glad for you to try. But do believe me, my dear friend, touching her heart is like bathing in ice." I imagine. I imagine it feels like bathing in ice to the person touching her. But how does it feel to her? Cold as she is, it must surely burn like fire.
...I realized that I knew less about loneliness than I had thought - and much less than I would know when he went away.
We cannot live without the knowledge that someone cares about us.
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