Silence Quote by Alice McDermott
““With her silence alone she held off, for a moment longer, the suggestion that the worst was over, the tree had fallen, the storm was passing, and time, as she was given to saying, was marching on: school tomorrow, work for their father, laundry, shopping, meals. For just a moment more, she let them linger.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, 2008
She clings to everyday routines to avoid confronting the deeper grief that lingers beyond the immediate crisis.
In simple terms: She uses daily tasks to postpone facing loss.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge grief instead of masking it.
Themes
grief
routine
avoidance
resilience
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- family loss
- personal crisis
- daily chores
- mental health coping
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
temporal perception
Questions to Reflect On
- What tasks do you use to defer emotional pain?
- Can routine become a barrier to healing?
A Different Perspective
Rituals may delay processing pain, not resolve it.
![“When the tree is fallen, all goe with their hatchet. [When the tree is fallen, all go with their hatchet.]” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/99e/george-herbert-107_fallen_when-the-tree-is-fallen-all-goe-with-the_686253.jpg)
