--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We became acquainted with starry skies…" description: "\"“We became acquainted with starry skies the girls had gazed at while camping years before, and the boredom of summers traipsing from back yard to front..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/jeffrey-eugenides-462_coming-home_we-became-acquainted-with-starry-skies-t_428214.jpg" --- # We became acquainted with starry skies the girls had gazed… ![“We became acquainted with starry skies the girls had gazed at while camping years before, and the boredom of summers traipsing from back yard to front to back again, and even a certain indefinable smell that arose from toilets on rainy nights, which the girls called "sewery." We knew what it felt…” quote by Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/jeffrey-eugenides-462_coming-home_we-became-acquainted-with-starry-skies-t_428214.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/jeffrey-eugenides-462_coming-home_we-became-acquainted-with-starry-skies-t_428214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d7/jeffrey-eugenides-462_coming-home_we-became-acquainted-with-starry-skies-t_428214.jpg) > ““We became acquainted with starry skies the girls had gazed at while camping years before, and the boredom of summers traipsing from back yard to front to back again, and even a certain indefinable smell that arose from toilets on rainy nights, which the girls called "sewery." We knew what it felt like to see a boy with his shirt off, and why it made Lux write the name Kevin in purple Magic Marker all over her three-ring binder and even on her bras and panties, and we understood her rage coming home one day to find that Mrs. Lisbon had soaked her things in Clorox, bleaching all the "Kevins" out. We knew the pain of winter wind rushing up your skirt, and the ache of keeping your knees together in class, and how drab and infuriating it was to jump rope while the boys played baseball. We could never understand why the girls cared so much about being mature, or why they felt compelled to compliment each other, but sometimes, after one of us had read a long portion of the diary out loud, we had to fight back the urge to hug one another or to tell each other how pretty we were. We felt the imprisonment of being a girl, the way it made your mind active and dreamy, and how you ended up knowing which colors went together. We knew that the girls were our twins, that we all existed in space like animals with identical skins, and that they knew everything about us though we couldn't fathom them at all. We knew, finally, that the girls were really women in disguise, that they understood love and even death, and that our job was merely to create the noise that seemed to fascinate them.”” [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## 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 recollection of adolescent female experience, blending sensory details with the feeling of being trapped by gender expectations. **In simple terms:** Girls’ growing up feels confusing and restrictive. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge gendered constraints. Themes identity gender adolescence friendship memory Mood nostalgic reflective empathetic Type narrative personal sociocultural When to use this quote - school - summer camps - home life - peer groups Key Concepts socialization body image emotional labor Questions to Reflect On - How do gender expectations shape self‑perception? - What can be done to ease adolescent girls’ emotional burdens? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize pain, overlooking systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Jump rope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jump-rope/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Rainy night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainy-night/) ## Related quotes > [“We could never understand why the girls cared so much about being mature, or why they felt compelled to compliment each other, but sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-could-never-understand-why-the-girls-cared-so-much-about-being/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We felt the imprisonment of being a girl, the way it made your mind active and dreamy, and how you ended up knowing which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-felt-the-imprisonment-of-being-a-girl-the-way-it-made-your-mind-2/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“We knew the pain of winter wind rushing up your skirt, and the ache of keeping your knees together in class, and how drab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-the-pain-of-winter-wind-rushing-up-your-skirt-and-the-ache-of/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/she-walks-in-beauty-like-the-night-of-cloudless-climes-and-starry/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“I found no oceans in your eyes, no windy storms or starry skies. Neither a pearl nor an ember I could see, just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akash-mandal/i-found-no-oceans-in-your-eyes-no-windy-storms-or-starry-skies/) [Akash Mandal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akash-mandal/) > [“She Walks in Beauty Like the Night Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kennedy/she-walks-in-beauty-like-the-night-of-cloudless-climes-and-starry-4/) [Caroline Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kennedy/) > [She walks in Beauty, like the night Of cloudness climes and starry skies, And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-walks-in-beauty-like-the-night-of-cloudness-climes-and-starry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She isn't like any of the girls I ever knew, or any of the girls I was myself." "How many girls were you, Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/she-isn-t-like-any-of-the-girls-i-ever-knew-or-any-of-the-girls-i-was/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Stepan Arkadyich smiled. He knew so well this feeling of Levin's, knew that for him all the girls in the world were divided into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/stepan-arkadyich-smiled-he-knew-so-well-this-feeling-of-levin-s-knew/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Now.Go all the way into the pond." "Um...how,exactly?" I was afraid she was going to make me hop out into the water until it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/now-go-all-the-way-into-the-pond-um-how-exactly-i-was-afraid-she-was/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/somewhere-along-the-line-i-knew-there-d-be-girls-visions-everything/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“We were girls in plaid skirts, loud and obnoxious, driving with the windows down. Capable students, nailing honor roll every year, despite our reputation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-curran/we-were-girls-in-plaid-skirts-loud-and-obnoxious-driving-with-the/) Colleen Curran > [I knew that these girls who 'loved David Essex' didn't even know me, with all my foibles: they loved an impossible, glossy, unrealistic ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-essex/i-knew-that-these-girls-who-loved-david-essex-didn-t-even-know-me/) [David Essex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-essex/) > [“Everyone knew that girls who admitted to liking girls stopped being whatever they were before and became a cross between a lumberjack and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-ochs/everyone-knew-that-girls-who-admitted-to-liking-girls-stopped-being/) Robyn Ochs > [We love them, we need them, we respect them, we cry for them. If only they knew what us girls go through. Then maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-love-them-we-need-them-we-respect-them-we-cry-for-them-if-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jeffrey Eugenides > [“Only the Lisbon house remained dark, a tunnel, an emptiness, past our smoke and flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/only-the-lisbon-house-remained-dark-a-tunnel-an-emptiness-past-our/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [It's often said that a traumatic experience early in life marks a person forever, pulls her out of line, saying, "Stay there. Don't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-s-often-said-that-a-traumatic-experience-early-in-life-marks-a/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Adolescents tend to seek love where they can find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/adolescents-tend-to-seek-love-where-they-can-find-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“The window was still open,” Mr Lisbon said. “I don’t think we’d ever remembered to shut it. It was all clear to me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-window-was-still-open-mr-lisbon-said-i-don-t-think-we-d-ever/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I was aware that you weren't supposed to write about suburbia, that it was undignified in some way, the subject matter not momentous enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-was-aware-that-you-weren-t-supposed-to-write-about-suburbia-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Dr. Armonson stitched up her wrist wounds. Within five minutes of the transfusion he declared her out of danger. Chucking her under the chin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/dr-armonson-stitched-up-her-wrist-wounds-within-five-minutes-of-the/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“I don't approve of women driving, mind you. And now they get to vote!" He grumbled to himself. "Remember that play we saw ("The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-don-t-approve-of-women-driving-mind-you-and-now-they-get-to-vote-he/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Her face was calm, but inside she was tense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/her-face-was-calm-but-inside-she-was-tense/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I know that attaching memories to books may be going out of the world, but while it lasts, it's a strong record of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-know-that-attaching-memories-to-books-may-be-going-out-of-the-world/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I spend most of every day writing. I like to write every day if I can. I don't start extremely early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-spend-most-of-every-day-writing-i-like-to-write-every-day-if-i-can/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/maybe-the-best-proof-that-the-language-is-patriarchal-is-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We knew that Cecilia had killed herself because she was a misfit, because the beyond called to her, and we knew that her sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-that-cecilia-had-killed-herself-because-she-was-a-misfit/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You can tell when something's not moving forward anymore. When the doubts you have about it don't go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-can-tell-when-something-s-not-moving-forward-anymore-when-the/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They could sit back and let normality manifest itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/normality-wasn-t-normal-it-couldn-t-be-if-normality-were-normal/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) [Explore all 516 Jeffrey Eugenides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## More Coming home quotes > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) Margaret Fishback > [This is my idea of heaven, coming home and watching the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/this-is-my-idea-of-heaven-coming-home-and-watching-the-news/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“And when I look into his eyes there’s a feeling of something I can only describe as familiarity, a sense of safety. Like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-james/and-when-i-look-into-his-eyes-there-s-a-feeling-of-something-i-can/) [Rebecca James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-james/) > [My greatest fear is coming home one day and discovering that the slim and sexy woman I married has become fat and shapeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-zee/my-greatest-fear-is-coming-home-one-day-and-discovering-that-the-slim/) [MO'Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-zee/) > [Seeing my children makes me come most alive. I come home and I see my kids' faces light up when they see me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/seeing-my-children-makes-me-come-most-alive-i-come-home-and-i-see-my/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [I wouldn't just come home from school and watch TV everyday, they had me involved in lots of local theatre. I was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/i-wouldn-t-just-come-home-from-school-and-watch-tv-everyday-they-had/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [“Where we sail and anchor our heart fill up the multitude odyssey paving to the coming home of our soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/where-we-sail-and-anchor-our-heart-fill-up-the-multitude-odyssey/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [I can see you through any darkness. Your light it leads me on. I'm coming back to your orchard. Coming back to my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/i-can-see-you-through-any-darkness-your-light-it-leads-me-on-i-m/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [Coming back to your calling. I can hear your voice say. Coming home for tomorrow from my dreams of yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/coming-back-to-your-calling-i-can-hear-your-voice-say-coming-home-for/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Yes, she’s coming home for a visit. No, I will not give you a free pass. You put one finger on her, I’ll beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/yes-she-s-coming-home-for-a-visit-no-i-will-not-give-you-a-free-pass/) [nalini singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“I let it all out: the joy and the pain. The waiting and the wanting. The future and the past. We kiss for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katia-rose/i-let-it-all-out-the-joy-and-the-pain-the-waiting-and-the-wanting-the/) Katia Rose [Browse all 1,175 Coming home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We became acquainted with starry skies the girls had gazed at while camping years before, and the boredom of summers traipsing from back yard to front to back again, and even a certain indefinable smell that arose from toilets on rainy nights, which the girls called \"sewery.\" We knew what it felt like to see a boy with his shirt off, and why it made Lux write the name Kevin in purple Magic Marker all over her three-ring binder and even on her bras and panties, and we understood her rage coming home one day to find that Mrs. Lisbon had soaked her things in Clorox, bleaching all the \"Kevins\" out. We knew the pain of winter wind rushing up your skirt, and the ache of keeping your knees together in class, and how drab and infuriating it was to jump rope while the boys played baseball. We could never understand why the girls cared so much about being mature, or why they felt compelled to compliment each other, but sometimes, after one of us had read a long portion of the diary out loud, we had to fight back the urge to hug one another or to tell each other how pretty we were. We felt the imprisonment of being a girl, the way it made your mind active and dreamy, and how you ended up knowing which colors went together. We knew that the girls were our twins, that we all existed in space like animals with identical skins, and that they knew everything about us though we couldn't fathom them at all. 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