--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We went into a small, windowless office…" description: "\"“We went into a small, windowless office crowded between two others that appeared empty. A middle-aged American woman was seated behind a metal desk. S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85d/gene-wolfe-2530_american-woman_we-went-into-a-small-windowless-office-c_2742486.jpg" --- # We went into a small, windowless office crowded between… ![“We went into a small, windowless office crowded between two others that appeared empty. A middle-aged American woman was seated behind a metal desk. She appeared normal and reasonably attractive until she spoke; then her scarred gums showed that she had once had two or three times the proper…” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85d/gene-wolfe-2530_american-woman_we-went-into-a-small-windowless-office-c_2742486.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85d/gene-wolfe-2530_american-woman_we-went-into-a-small-windowless-office-c_2742486.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85d/gene-wolfe-2530_american-woman_we-went-into-a-small-windowless-office-c_2742486.jpg) > ““We went into a small, windowless office crowded between two others that appeared empty. A middle-aged American woman was seated behind a metal desk. She appeared normal and reasonably attractive until she spoke; then her scarred gums showed that she had once had two or three times the proper number of teeth—forty or fifty, I suppose, in each jaw—and that the dental surgeon who had extracted the supernumerary ones had not always, perhaps, selected those he suffered to remain as wisely as he might.”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid description of a surreal, cramped office and a woman whose dental abnormalities hint at deeper, unsettling themes. **In simple terms:** A strange office and a woman with odd teeth reveal hidden oddness. Key Takeaway Notice how physical details can suggest larger mysteries. Themes surrealism body humanity perception mystery Mood uneasy intrigued thoughtful Type descriptive atmospheric literary When to use this quote - office setting - character introduction - building atmosphere - setting tone Key Concepts abnormal anatomy psychological tension world‑building Questions to Reflect On - What does the woman's dental condition symbolize? - How does the setting affect your sense of unease? A Different Perspective The focus on teeth may distract from broader narrative themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-woman/) [Gums Showed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gums-showed-3038075/) [Number Teeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-teeth-3038074/) [Suppose Jaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suppose-jaw-3038076/) [Teeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teeth/) [Teeth Suppose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teeth-suppose-3038073/) [Three times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-times/) ## Related quotes > [Man can have only a certain number of teeth, hair and ideas; there comes a time when he necessarily loses his teeth, hair and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/man-can-have-only-a-certain-number-of-teeth-hair-and-ideas-there/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. 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So I think that what she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fees/she-was-bold-and-yet-she-was-reserved-she-was-sensual-and-girlish-but/) [Paul Fees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fees/) > [“Through my willingness to train every day and to dig deep in the after-class ukemi sessions, over time I earned the respect and friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-holiday/through-my-willingness-to-train-every-day-and-to-dig-deep-in-the/) [Linda Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-holiday/) > [Being in the body of an African-American woman, I prefer animation. I get to be everybody. I don't have to always be the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cree-summer/being-in-the-body-of-an-african-american-woman-i-prefer-animation-i/) [Cree Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cree-summer/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-went-to-natchitoches-la-it-was-summer/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## More by Gene Wolfe > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. 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The inexperienced are sick with a thousand feelings, most of them unformed: fearful that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-experienced-feel-love-or-desire-or-both-the-inexperienced-are/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For those who have never attended a science fiction convention, masquerades are features of most of the larger ones. Awards are presented for best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-those-who-have-never-attended-a-science-fiction-convention/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“He had a wild yellow beard and long, tangled hair that stood out from his head in a way that made it seem too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/he-had-a-wild-yellow-beard-and-long-tangled-hair-that-stood-out-from/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [ ...in some situations winning consist\[s\] of disentangling oneself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/in-some-situations-winning-consist-s-of-disentangling-oneself/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For after all, if the lives of most men are examined in detail, it will be found that they have been experts of immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-after-all-if-the-lives-of-most-men-are-examined-in-detail-it-will/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More American woman quotes > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. 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That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/he-tells-me-of-one-american-woman-forty-five-years-old-who-was-able/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [All of my history as an African-American woman, as a Jewish woman, as a Muslim woman. I'm bringing everything I ever knew, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/all-of-my-history-as-an-african-american-woman-as-a-jewish-woman-as-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I went to Dartmouth College so simply by being an Indian-American woman, I was already so statistically interesting. 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As an African American woman, with three young children who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/today-my-elation-over-obama-s-election-is-tempered-by-a-far-more/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Browse all 186 American woman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-woman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We went into a small, windowless office crowded between two others that appeared empty. A middle-aged American woman was seated behind a metal desk. 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