Bones Quote by Laurie Halse Anderson
“Dead girl walking” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secrets” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. "I am that girl. I am the spaces between my thighs, daylight shinning through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Untitled, 2020, from a collection of contemporary feminist poetry
A young woman asserts her identity and agency against objectifying whispers and expectations in school hallways
In simple terms: She declares herself beyond the rumors, owning her body and spirit
Key Takeaway
Own your narrative, reject others' labels
Themes
identity
empowerment
body autonomy
Mood
defiant
assertive
poetic
Type
personal
social commentary
When to use this quote
- school environment
- online harassment
- personal empowerment
- artistic expression
Key Concepts
feminist critique
self‑definition
social pressure
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you confront demeaning labels?
- What does “spaces between my thighs” symbolize for you?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may obscure the literal meaning for some readers
![“[In the Field Museum of Natural History] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece. We could see the most sophisticated things that came out of the Orient - Japan, Korea, and China - some few pieces of European porcelain, majolica…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8fc/warren-mackenzie-4654_ancient_in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-w_183538.jpg)
