--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Her eyes opened at this sight against her…" description: "\"“Her eyes opened at this sight against her will and she looked around the room almost in fear. But it was dark and shadowy, shaded by the bamboo screen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/anita-desai-24160_family_her-eyes-opened-at-this-sight-against-he_255965.jpg" --- # Her eyes opened at this sight against her will and she… ![“Her eyes opened at this sight against her will and she looked around the room almost in fear. But it was dark and shadowy, shaded by the bamboo screen at the door, the damp rush mats at the windows, the old heavy curtains and the spotted, peeling walls, and in their shade she saw how she loved…” quote by Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/anita-desai-24160_family_her-eyes-opened-at-this-sight-against-he_255965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/anita-desai-24160_family_her-eyes-opened-at-this-sight-against-he_255965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/anita-desai-24160_family_her-eyes-opened-at-this-sight-against-he_255965.jpg) > ““Her eyes opened at this sight against her will and she looked around the room almost in fear. But it was dark and shadowy, shaded by the bamboo screen at the door, the damp rush mats at the windows, the old heavy curtains and the spotted, peeling walls, and in their shade she saw how she loved him, loved Raja and Tara and all of them who had lived in this house with her. There could be no love more deep and full and wide than this one, she knew. No other love had started so far back in time and had had so much time in which to grow and spread. They were really all parts of her, inseparable, so many aspects of her as she was of them, so that the anger or the disappointment she felt in them was only the anger and disappointment she felt at herself. Whatever hurt they felt, she felt. Whatever diminished them, diminished her. What attacked them, attacked her. Nor was there anyone else on earth whom she was willing to forgive more readily or completely, or defend more instinctively and instantly. She could hardly believe, at that moment, that she would Iive on after they did or they would continue after she had ended. If such an unimaginable phenomenon could take place, then surely they would remain flawed, damaged for life. The wholeness of the pattern, its perfection, would be gone. She lay absolutely still, almost ceasing to breathe, afraid to diminish by even a breath the wholeness of that love.”” [Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-desai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels an all‑encompassing, intertwined love with her family, so deep that any harm to them feels like personal injury, and she fears losing that unity. **In simple terms:** She sees her family as part of herself, so any pain to them hurts her. Key Takeaway Recognize how deeply relational bonds shape identity and protect them. Themes family identity interconnectedness love vulnerability Mood melancholic reflective intense Type literary emotional philosophical When to use this quote - grieving a loved one - family conflict - personal loss - self‑reflection Key Concepts attachment theory self‑identity empathy Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain self‑identity while deeply caring for others? - Can love be both protective and limiting? A Different Perspective The intensity of love can blur personal boundaries, making self‑care difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [I saw 'Get Out,' and I loved that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-rothe/i-saw-get-out-and-i-loved-that/) [Jessica Rothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-rothe/) > [“I knew even then, the first time that I saw you, that I loved you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/i-knew-even-then-the-first-time-that-i-saw-you-that-i-loved-you/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“The more hurt I felt, the more I blamed the Lord for my pain. 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I try not to structure my work too rigidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-desai/my-style-of-writing-is-to-allow-the-story-to-unfold-on-its-own-i-try/) [Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-desai/) > [I try to trace the connection between the characters and that way a story or plot emerges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-desai/i-try-to-trace-the-connection-between-the-characters-and-that-way-a/) [Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-desai/) > [Isn't it strange how life won't flow, like a river, but moves in jumps, as if it were held back by locks that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-desai/isn-t-it-strange-how-life-won-t-flow-like-a-river-but-moves-in-jumps/) [Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-desai/) > [India is a curious place that still preserves the past, religions, and its history. 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But it was dark and shadowy, shaded by the bamboo screen at the door, the damp rush mats at the windows, the old heavy curtains and the spotted, peeling walls, and in their shade she saw how she loved him, loved Raja and Tara and all of them who had lived in this house with her. There could be no love more deep and full and wide than this one, she knew. No other love had started so far back in time and had had so much time in which to grow and spread. They were really all parts of her, inseparable, so many aspects of her as she was of them, so that the anger or the disappointment she felt in them was only the anger and disappointment she felt at herself. Whatever hurt they felt, she felt. Whatever diminished them, diminished her. What attacked them, attacked her. Nor was there anyone else on earth whom she was willing to forgive more readily or completely, or defend more instinctively and instantly. She could hardly believe, at that moment, that she would Iive on after they did or they would continue after she had ended. If such an unimaginable phenomenon could take place, then surely they would remain flawed, damaged for life. The wholeness of the pattern, its perfection, would be gone. 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