This night the woman of his belittling deprecations was…
““This night the woman of his belittling deprecations was thinking how great and good her husband was. But over them both there hung a deeper shade than the shade which Angel Clare perceived, namely, the shade of his own limitations. With all his attempted independence of judgment this advanced and well-meaning young man, a sample product of the last five-and-twenty years, was yet the slave to custom and conventionality when surprised back into his early teachings. No prophet had told him, and he was not prophet enough to tell himself, that essentially this young wife of his was as deserving of the praise of King Lemuel as any other woman endowed with the same dislike of evil, her moral value having to be reckoned not by achievement but by tendency. Moreover, the figure near at hand suffers on such occasions, because it shows up its sorriness without shade; while vague figures afar off are honoured, in that their distance makes artistic virtues of their stains. In considering what Tess was not, he overlooked what she was, and forgot that the defective can be more than the entire.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage critiques how society judges women by limited standards, overlooking deeper virtues and the constraints imposed by tradition.
In simple terms: Society often misjudges women, ignoring their true worth.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value inner qualities beyond superficial judgments.
Themes
gender
society
tradition
self‑worth
Mood
empathetic
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- relationships
- family expectations
- social norms
Key Concepts
feminist critique
moral philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we see beyond societal expectations?
- What can we do to honor unseen strengths?
A Different Perspective
May generalize experiences, missing individual nuance.