Blood Quote by John Fante
“Ah, Evelyn and Vivian, I love you both, I love you for your sad lives, the empty misery of your coming home at dawn. You too are alone, but you are not like Arturo Bandini, who is neither fish, fowl nor good red herring. So have your champagne, because I love you both, and you too, Vivian, even if your mouth looks like it had been dug out with raw fingernails and your old child's eyes swim in blood written like mad sonnets.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Road to Los Angeles, John Fante, 1936
The narrator expresses a complex, almost painful affection for two women, juxtaposing their loneliness with vivid, grotesque imagery to highlight love’s raw, unconditional nature.
In simple terms: Love can be raw and intense despite suffering.
Key Takeaway
Embrace love even in harsh circumstances.
Themes
love
loneliness
despair
beauty in ugliness
unconditional affection
Mood
melancholy
intense
poetic
Type
literary
emotional
confessional
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- intimate confession
- artistic expression
- emotional catharsis
Key Concepts
existentialism
romanticism
human vulnerability
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the narrator’s harsh description reveal about his love?
- How does suffering shape affection?
A Different Perspective
The extreme imagery may alienate readers or obscure the tenderness behind it.
![“T]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people - the new covenant, blood-bought people of God. That's why Paul said, 'Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her' (Eph. 5:25). He didn't give himself up for a…” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a4/mark-dever-3175_blood_t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-bu_3297.jpg)
