--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she…" description: "\"“As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she had performed a second surgery, one less bloody but no less brutal, excising from his heart the impulse to ru..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/anthony-marra-7171_amputation_as-the-saw-teeth-caught-on-the-bone-she_1647844.png" --- # As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she had performed a… ![“As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she had performed a second surgery, one less bloody but no less brutal, excising from his heart the impulse to run, to cower, to let the man bleed to death rather than face the horror of saving him. The amputation had left both patients lighter. p 121-122” quote by Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/anthony-marra-7171_amputation_as-the-saw-teeth-caught-on-the-bone-she_1647844.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/anthony-marra-7171_amputation_as-the-saw-teeth-caught-on-the-bone-she_1647844.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/anthony-marra-7171_amputation_as-the-saw-teeth-caught-on-the-bone-she_1647844.png) > ““As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she had performed a second surgery, one less bloody but no less brutal, excising from his heart the impulse to run, to cower, to let the man bleed to death rather than face the horror of saving him. The amputation had left both patients lighter. p 121-122”” [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brutal second surgery forces a character to confront his fear of saving a life, making both lighter. **In simple terms:** Facing fear of saving others can be painful but liberating. Key Takeaway Confront painful choices to grow. Themes war morality humanity Mood somber intense Type literary dramatic When to use this quote - combat situations - medical decisions - personal crises Key Concepts psychology ethical dilemma trauma Questions to Reflect On - What does “lighter” mean after a painful decision? - Can confronting fear ever truly relieve burden? A Different Perspective Such choices may have irreversible consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) ## Related quotes > [“Melvin Brands took bread, and the foot, wrapped in camphored cloth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/melvin-brands-took-bread-and-the-foot-wrapped-in-camphored-cloth/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [I had nerve damage. It was going to lead to amputation. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/i-had-nerve-damage-it-was-going-to-lead-to-amputation-i-had-high/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [“Pop's leg was across the room when I came downstairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-miller-haines/pop-s-leg-was-across-the-room-when-i-came-downstairs/) Kathryn Miller Haines > [The state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monsters, -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-state-of-society-is-one-in-which-the-members-have-suffered/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Faint hearts are encouraged when they read about others who, despite amputation, spinal cord injury, or psychiatric disorders have a vibrant trust and confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/faint-hearts-are-encouraged-when-they-read-about-others-who-despite/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [“Everybody's amputated in some way or another, Shiloh. We lose loved ones, cut off memories forever, end relationships. Go down paths we can't return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rogers-spinola/everybody-s-amputated-in-some-way-or-another-shiloh-we-lose-loved/) Jennifer Rogers Spinola > [“Jo claimed that the reason people survived breakups was that within days of the amputation, Mother Nature started reminding you of what you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/jo-claimed-that-the-reason-people-survived-breakups-was-that-within/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [To my mind, healing means returning a malfunctioning human body to full unrestricted function, not to remove parts of it by operation or amputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-breuss/to-my-mind-healing-means-returning-a-malfunctioning-human-body-to/) Rudolf Breuss > [“in an interview Butler has stated that the meaning of the amputation is clear enough: “I couldn’t really let her come all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-an-interview-butler-has-stated-that-the-meaning-of-the-amputation/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [At 70, my late father, Peter, underwent a foot amputation after surgical complications. There were suggestions that at his age being in a wheelchair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/at-70-my-late-father-peter-underwent-a-foot-amputation-after-surgical/) [Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/) > [“It’s like putting a band-aid on an amputation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-anders/it-s-like-putting-a-band-aid-on-an-amputation/) [Natasha Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-anders/) > [The death of a beloved is an amputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-death-of-a-beloved-is-an-amputation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/calf-love-doesn-t-usually-survive-amputation-your-majesty/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [I think any break-up from a long relationship has this accompanying feeling of who am I without this person. You feel like a half-person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-think-any-break-up-from-a-long-relationship-has-this-accompanying/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) ## More by Anthony Marra > [“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“The previous night, for the first time in a long time, he had felt whole, and his eyes returned to the rearview, where his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/the-previous-night-for-the-first-time-in-a-long-time-he-had-felt/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/at-the-kitchen-table-she-examined-the-glass-of-ice-each-cube-was/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“There was no one left to say whom you could love. p.294”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/there-was-no-one-left-to-say-whom-you-could-love-p-294/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [We twist our souls around each other’s miseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/we-twist-our-souls-around-each-other-s-miseries/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“The television dramas we grew up on, stories of star-crossed lovers, stories of love overcoming all obstacles, well, they’re all fairy tales, obviously, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/the-television-dramas-we-grew-up-on-stories-of-star-crossed-lovers/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“He had always tried to treat Havaa as a child and she always went along with it, as though childhood and innocence were fantastical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-had-always-tried-to-treat-havaa-as-a-child-and-she-always-went/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“He asked them to close their eyes, and hoped their mouths would follow suit.” p. 137”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-asked-them-to-close-their-eyes-and-hoped-their-mouths-would-follow/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“Don't insult me. Everyone knows a turtle is a crustacean on its mother's side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/don-t-insult-me-everyone-knows-a-turtle-is-a-crustacean-on-its-mother/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“Those smooth, spit-cleaned cheeks gave no indication of the dreams crowding her skull. Should she make it to adulthood, the girl would arrive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/those-smooth-spit-cleaned-cheeks-gave-no-indication-of-the-dreams/) [anthony marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“In all likelihood, Sonja had more academic journal subscriptions than friends. She could explain advanced calculus to her fifth-form algebra teacher but couldn't tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/in-all-likelihood-sonja-had-more-academic-journal-subscriptions-than/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“Even after Sonja graduated secondary school at the top of her class and matriculated to the city university biology department, their parents found more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/even-after-sonja-graduated-secondary-school-at-the-top-of-her-class/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“He was losing her incrementally...As a web is no more than holes woven together, they were bonded by what was no longer there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-was-losing-her-incrementally-as-a-web-is-no-more-than-holes-woven/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“Too young to explain in words, the girl's face was old enough to show the loss that was that name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/too-young-to-explain-in-words-the-girl-s-face-was-old-enough-to-show/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“A lizard fucks a crab and nine months later a turtle pops out. It's called evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/a-lizard-fucks-a-crab-and-nine-months-later-a-turtle-pops-out-it-s/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) [Explore all 94 Anthony Marra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) ## More Amputation quotes > [“Melvin Brands took bread, and the foot, wrapped in camphored cloth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/melvin-brands-took-bread-and-the-foot-wrapped-in-camphored-cloth/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/calf-love-doesn-t-usually-survive-amputation-your-majesty/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The death of a beloved is an amputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-death-of-a-beloved-is-an-amputation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It’s like putting a band-aid on an amputation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-anders/it-s-like-putting-a-band-aid-on-an-amputation/) [Natasha Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-anders/) > [At 70, my late father, Peter, underwent a foot amputation after surgical complications. There were suggestions that at his age being in a wheelchair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/at-70-my-late-father-peter-underwent-a-foot-amputation-after-surgical/) [Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/) > [“in an interview Butler has stated that the meaning of the amputation is clear enough: “I couldn’t really let her come all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-an-interview-butler-has-stated-that-the-meaning-of-the-amputation/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [To my mind, healing means returning a malfunctioning human body to full unrestricted function, not to remove parts of it by operation or amputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-breuss/to-my-mind-healing-means-returning-a-malfunctioning-human-body-to/) Rudolf Breuss > [“Jo claimed that the reason people survived breakups was that within days of the amputation, Mother Nature started reminding you of what you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/jo-claimed-that-the-reason-people-survived-breakups-was-that-within/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“Everybody's amputated in some way or another, Shiloh. We lose loved ones, cut off memories forever, end relationships. Go down paths we can't return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rogers-spinola/everybody-s-amputated-in-some-way-or-another-shiloh-we-lose-loved/) Jennifer Rogers Spinola > [Faint hearts are encouraged when they read about others who, despite amputation, spinal cord injury, or psychiatric disorders have a vibrant trust and confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/faint-hearts-are-encouraged-when-they-read-about-others-who-despite/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [The state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monsters, -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-state-of-society-is-one-in-which-the-members-have-suffered/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Pop's leg was across the room when I came downstairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-miller-haines/pop-s-leg-was-across-the-room-when-i-came-downstairs/) Kathryn Miller Haines > [I had nerve damage. It was going to lead to amputation. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/i-had-nerve-damage-it-was-going-to-lead-to-amputation-i-had-high/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [I think any break-up from a long relationship has this accompanying feeling of who am I without this person. You feel like a half-person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-think-any-break-up-from-a-long-relationship-has-this-accompanying/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) Browse all 41 Amputation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As the saw teeth caught on the bone, she had performed a second surgery, one less bloody but no less brutal, excising from his heart the impulse to run, to cower, to let the man bleed to death rather than face the horror of saving him. 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