--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She felt a cage coming down around her…" description: "\"She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she realized that he had her trapped by the heart. And like any unwilling animal that was well and tru..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg" --- # She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she… ![“She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she realized that he had her trapped by the heart. And like any unwilling animal that was well and truly caught, she could escape only by leaving a piece of herself behind.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg) > “She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she realized that he had her trapped by the heart. And like any unwilling animal that was well and truly caught, she could escape only by leaving a piece of herself behind.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The metaphor describes a woman trapped by love as a cage, suggesting that true freedom may require sacrificing part of oneself. **In simple terms:** Love can feel like a trapping cage. Key Takeaway Recognize when love becomes confinement. Themes love entrapment self‑sacrifice Mood emotional introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - romantic relationships - personal boundaries Key Concepts psychology relationships metaphor Questions to Reflect On - When does love become a cage? - What part of yourself are you willing to give? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Cages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cages/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Caught Escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-escape-1868363/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Realized Trapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-trapped-4580889/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Trapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trapped/) [Trapped Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trapped-heart-1324905/) [Unwilling Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwilling-animal-5617313/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“I realized I'm trapped in the embrace of the one who is breaking my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-przekop/i-realized-i-m-trapped-in-the-embrace-of-the-one-who-is-breaking-my/) [Penelope Przekop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-przekop/) > [Though I caught you loving me, I'm the one trapped by my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/though-i-caught-you-loving-me-i-m-the-one-trapped-by-my-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A hand landed on his ass and urged him on and there was no wall, there were no obstacles, there was only the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/a-hand-landed-on-his-ass-and-urged-him-on-and-there-was-no-wall-there/) [Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/) > [“Immediately, I was caught up in an escape plan to spirit me out of San Francisco and back to North Oaks in a manner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/immediately-i-was-caught-up-in-an-escape-plan-to-spirit-me-out-of-san/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [“I realized how trapped I was by all the talk of the end of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-rheta-schreiber/i-realized-how-trapped-i-was-by-all-the-talk-of-the-end-of-the-world/) [Flora Rheta Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-rheta-schreiber/) > [Tears are words Trapped in your heart, your tongue can't express it and your heart can't bare it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tears-are-words-trapped-in-your-heart-your-tongue-can-t-express-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is a Monster. It rips you apart, grabs hold of your heart and traps someone inside. This person might not want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-monster-it-rips-you-apart-grabs-hold-of-your-heart-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If one thinks about racism by examining only one wire of the cage, or one form of disadvantage, it is difficult to understand how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-marion-young/if-one-thinks-about-racism-by-examining-only-one-wire-of-the-cage-or/) [Iris Marion Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-marion-young/) > [Certainly youth of color, particularly those in ghetto communities, find themselves born into the cage. They are born into a community in which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/certainly-youth-of-color-particularly-those-in-ghetto-communities/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Homosexuality is a cage in which you are trapped in an endless cycle of constantly wanting more - sexually - that you can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-glatze/homosexuality-is-a-cage-in-which-you-are-trapped-in-an-endless-cycle/) [Michael Glatze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-glatze/) > [Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/irony-has-only-emergency-use-carried-over-time-it-is-the-voice-of-the/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [The consolations of the vulgar are bitter in the royal ear. Let physicians and confectioners and servants in the great houses be judged by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/the-consolations-of-the-vulgar-are-bitter-in-the-royal-ear-let/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [Peace in the struggle to find peace.. comfort on the way to comfort. And if I shed a tear I won't cage it I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/peace-in-the-struggle-to-find-peace-comfort-on-the-way-to-comfort-and/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she realized that he had her trapped by the heart. And like any unwilling animal that was well and truly caught, she could escape only by leaving a piece of herself behind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-too-late-she-realized-that-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-too-late-she-realized-that-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/jodi-picoult-45_animal_she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-t_1520244.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She felt a cage coming down around her; too late she realized that he had her trapped by the heart. And like…” — Jodi Picoult", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "She felt a cage coming down...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-too-late-she-realized-that-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-felt-a-cage-coming-down-around-her-too-late-she-realized-that-he/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```