--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering…" description: "\"“Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her room, lying on her bed with the polyethylene sheath of her \"Jackie dress\" swapped around her he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg" --- # Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her… ![“Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her room, lying on her bed with the polyethylene sheath of her "Jackie dress" swapped around her head. The sheath was now all steamed up inside, and she hallucinated that she was a great land tortoise lying on its back in the hot and humid hold of…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg) > ““Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her room, lying on her bed with the polyethylene sheath of her "Jackie dress" swapped around her head. The sheath was now all steamed up inside, and she hallucinated that she was a great land tortoise lying on its back in the hot and humid hold of a sailing ship of long ago. She pawed the air in perfect futility, just as a land tortoise on its back would have done. As she had often told her students, sailing ships bound out across the Pacific used to stop off in the Galàpagos Islands to capture defenseless tortoises, who could live on their backs without food or water for months. They were so slow and tame and huge and plentiful. The sailors would capsize them without fear of being bitten or clawed. then they would drag them down to waiting longboats on the shore, using the animals' own useless suits of armor for sleds. They would store them on their backs in the dark paying no further attention to them until it was time for them to be eaten. the beauty of the tortoises to the sailors was that they were fresh meat which did not have to be refrigerated or eaten right away.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a woman’s mental breakdown using a tortoise metaphor, highlighting helplessness and the grotesque nature of her suffering. **In simple terms:** A vivid metaphor shows a person’s despair as a helpless turtle. Key Takeaway Recognize and address mental anguish before it becomes fatal. Themes mental health despair metaphor Mood somber intense Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - mental health awareness - literary analysis Key Concepts psychology symbolism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does metaphor shape our perception of mental illness? - What coping strategies can prevent such despair? A Different Perspective The graphic imagery may be triggering for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Galapagos islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galapagos-islands/) [Land Tortoise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-tortoise-1924304/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Tortoise Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoise-lying-1924300/) [Tortoise Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoise-told-1924302/) [Tortoises Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoises-live-1924303/) [Tortoises Sailors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoises-sailors-1924301/) ## Related quotes > [Mere opinions, in fact, were as likely to govern people's actions as hard evidence, and were subject to sudden reversals as hard evidence could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/mere-opinions-in-fact-were-as-likely-to-govern-people-s-actions-as/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“As Mary delivered what was to be her last lecture about the Galapagos Islands, she would be stopped mid-sentence for five seconds by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/as-mary-delivered-what-was-to-be-her-last-lecture-about-the-galapagos/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The Galapagos Islands are probably the most famous wildlife-watching destination in the world. And no wonder - it's almost impossible to exaggerate the sheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-carwardine/the-galapagos-islands-are-probably-the-most-famous-wildlife-watching/) [Mark Carwardine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-carwardine/) > [“We’re different, you and I. I am a Rorschach Test, and you, you are a butterfly. No, wait, you are a bat. Actually, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/we-re-different-you-and-i-i-am-a-rorschach-test-and-you-you-are-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Humor is everything. Everything. Usually the negatives turned out to be the most positive for me. In the music industry, any other artist would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pitbull/humor-is-everything-everything-usually-the-negatives-turned-out-to-be/) [Pitbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pitbull/) > [The Galapagos Islands provide a window on time. In a geologic sense, the islands are young, yet they appear ancient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-lanting/the-galapagos-islands-provide-a-window-on-time-in-a-geologic-sense/) [Frans Lanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-lanting/) > [“The Galapagos Islands, to give one famous example, remained uninhabited by humans until the nineteenth century, thus preserving their unique menagerie, including their giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-galapagos-islands-to-give-one-famous-example-remained-uninhabited/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Becoming a bird ecologist was just luck! I had the chance to be a field assistant for a scientist working in the Galapagos Islands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-anderson/becoming-a-bird-ecologist-was-just-luck-i-had-the-chance-to-be-a/) [David J. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-anderson/) > [Tortoises can survive for weeks without food or water, easily long enough to float in the Humboldt Current from South America to the Galapagos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/tortoises-can-survive-for-weeks-without-food-or-water-easily-long/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [From the peak of Chimborazo (volcano) to the Pacific coast, from the Amazon rainforest to the Galapagos Islands, may you never lose the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/from-the-peak-of-chimborazo-volcano-to-the-pacific-coast-from-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I love travelling, and had the pleasure of being in the most developed country in the world and then parts of two of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-garcia/i-love-travelling-and-had-the-pleasure-of-being-in-the-most-developed/) [Adam Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-garcia/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Exploitation quotes > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When the idea came up, (Newman's Own) I said, "Are you crazy? Stick my face on the label of salad dressing?" And then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/when-the-idea-came-up-newman-s-own-i-said-are-you-crazy-stick-my-face/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/communism-is-inequality-but-not-as-property-is-property-is/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Marx saw exploitation in terms of the rewards of human labor, but we can see it in terms of all the values of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/marx-saw-exploitation-in-terms-of-the-rewards-of-human-labor-but-we/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankind's most basic duty to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-walsh/the-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-of-children-is-one-of-the-most/) [James T. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-walsh/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [For my whole life I have dedicated myself to those who have been subjected to injustice. I've conducted investigations and written in newspapers about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/for-my-whole-life-i-have-dedicated-myself-to-those-who-have-been/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [If we human beings learn to see the intricacies that bind one part of a natural system to another and then to us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/if-we-human-beings-learn-to-see-the-intricacies-that-bind-one-part-of/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [The marketing of anything is full of exploitation and lies and hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/the-marketing-of-anything-is-full-of-exploitation-and-lies-and-hype/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [“Often, her mate is the child of a narcissist, already indoctrinated to regard exploitation and disregard as love. Others lured by the narcissistic aura…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elan-golomb/often-her-mate-is-the-child-of-a-narcissist-already-indoctrinated-to/) [Elan Golomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elan-golomb/) > [“A flat tire is like a bad attitude, you won't go anywhere until you change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-brown/a-flat-tire-is-like-a-bad-attitude-you-won-t-go-anywhere-until-you/) [Winston Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-brown/) > [Extension work is not exhortation. Nor is it exploitation of the people, or advertising of an institution, or publicity work for securing students. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/extension-work-is-not-exhortation-nor-is-it-exploitation-of-the/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) [Browse all 648 Exploitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her room, lying on her bed with the polyethylene sheath of her \"Jackie dress\" swapped around her head. The sheath was now all steamed up inside, and she hallucinated that she was a great land tortoise lying on its back in the hot and humid hold of a sailing ship of long ago. She pawed the air in perfect futility, just as a land tortoise on its back would have done. As she had often told her students, sailing ships bound out across the Pacific used to stop off in the Galàpagos Islands to capture defenseless tortoises, who could live on their backs without food or water for months. They were so slow and tame and huge and plentiful. The sailors would capsize them without fear of being bitten or clawed. then they would drag them down to waiting longboats on the shore, using the animals' own useless suits of armor for sleds. They would store them on their backs in the dark paying no further attention to them until it was time for them to be eaten. the beauty of the tortoises to the sailors was that they were fresh meat which did not have to be refrigerated or eaten right away.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-herself-up-in-her-room-lying-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exploitation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-herself-up-in-her-room-lying-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/kurt-vonnegut-41_exploitation_mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-her_179506.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself up in her room, lying on her bed with the polyethylene sheath…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Mary Hepburn was meanwhile murdering herself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-herself-up-in-her-room-lying-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/mary-hepburn-was-meanwhile-murdering-herself-up-in-her-room-lying-on/#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 } } ] } ```