Beautiful daughter Quote by Alice McDermott
““The servants were evil,” he said, recalling the tale the way the whiskey priest they sent to Creedmoor told it, sitting with Mr. Persichetti at the nurses’ station late into the night, those watery blue eyes forever bloodshot and sleepless. “They told the crazy chieftain that he should marry his beautiful daughter instead. Which he tried to do.” (“If you get my meaning,” the priest had said.) “But Dymphna ran off to Belgium.” He saw her grimace and purse her lips, her face seemed to swell with color. “Her crazy father followed her,” he said, tightening his own grip on her hand. “I guess he cut off her head.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The Lost Garden” by Alice McDermott, 1995
A haunting tale of a priest recounting violent, tragic events involving a family, highlighting fear, madness, and loss.
In simple terms: A priest tells a dark story of family tragedy and madness.
Key Takeaway
Listen to warning signs of violence.
Themes
family
violence
madness
Mood
somber
intense
Type
literary
dramatic
When to use this quote
- counseling
- mental health awareness
- historical research
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
trauma
psychological horror
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives the priest’s obsession?
- How does madness affect family dynamics?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may romanticize suffering, obscuring real causes.
![“Look at the reputation they gave him. [Giordano] Bruno without the pyre is a whiskey priest laying waste to the maids of Umbria.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c1a/terence-mckenna-287_giordano-bruno_look-at-the-reputation-they-gave-him-gio_239103.jpg)
