Many people, particularly children, have had poison ivy…
““Many people, particularly children, have had poison ivy very often, very badly. They speak of it. They do not forget it. But there is an outer limit, a kind that passes any question of degree. Those who have utterly had it instantly recognize each other—like the Jews and homosexuals in Proust. It has no dignity whatever. There are no poison-ivy heroes… There are other such cabals, reverse elites of outer limit, junkies, sufferers from migraines, the truly seasick, soldiers’ fear in wartime, certain cramps.Many people suffer from cramps severely, turn quite silent, green, and shaky. Someone offers them a glass of gin. But there are cramps of an entirely other order, when even hardened doctors—knowing it is not important, only temporary, just a matter of hours—reach for the Demerol and the needle. It must be so in each lonely degrading thing from which one comes back having learned nothing whatever. There are no conclusions to be drawn from it. Lonely people see double entendres everywhere.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
She compares extreme personal suffering to social marginalization, arguing that some pains are invisible and lack heroic narratives, leaving sufferers isolated.
In simple terms: Severe, invisible pains lack heroic stories and leave people alone.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and validate hidden struggles.
Themes
suffering
social marginalization
invisibility
empathy
Mood
somber
critical
Type
reflective
advocacy
When to use this quote
- healthcare
- mental health support
- advocacy
- community building
Key Concepts
psychology
stigma
social hierarchy
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes certain suffering invisible to society?
- How can we better support those with chronic, non‑visible ailments?
A Different Perspective
Heroic narratives can oversimplify complex pain.