You imagine the carefully pruned, shaped thing that is presented to you is truth. That is just what it isn't. The truth is improbable, the truth is fantastic; it's in what you think is a distorting mirror that you see the truth.
Jean RhysRead
Yes, I am sad, sad as a circus-lioness, sad as an eagle without wings, sad as a violin with only one string and that one broken, sad as a woman who is growing old. Sad, sad, sad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses profound sadness through vivid imagery, reflecting on loss and unfulfilled potential.
In this quote, Jean Rhys conveys a deep sense of sorrow using powerful comparisons that evoke the emotional weight of her feelings. The imagery of a circus lioness, a wingless eagle, and a broken violin illustrates how her sadness stems from a lack of freedom, vitality, and harmony. These metaphors encapsulate various aspects of loss and longing, particularly as they pertain to the experience of aging and the internal struggles unique to women. Rhys’ repetition of 'sad' emphasizes the intensity and depth of her grief, highlighting the human condition's inherent melancholies.
Themes
SadnessLossAgingEmotionsGrief
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the melancholy aspects of aging, this quote provides a poignant reflection.
More from Jean Rhys
All quotes →If I was bound for hell, let it be hell. No more false heaven. No more damned magic.
Jean RhysRead
The musty smell, the bugs, the lonliness, this room, which is part of the street outside-this is all I want from life.
Jean RhysRead
My life, which seems so simple and monotonous, is really a complicated affair of cafés where they like me and cafés where they don't, streets that are friendly, streets that aren't, rooms where I might be happy, rooms where I shall never be, looking-glasses I look nice in, looking-glasses I don't, dresses that will be lucky, dresses that won't, and so on.
Jean RhysRead
I must write. If I stop writing my life will have been an abject failure. It is that already to other people. But it could be an abject failure to myself. I will not have earned death.
Jean RhysRead
Your red dress,’ she said, and laughed. But I looked at the dress on the floor and it was as if the fire had spread across the room. It was beautiful and it reminded me of something I must do. I will remember I thought. I will remember quite soon now.
Jean RhysRead
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