Archways Quote by Margaret Atwood
“The weapons that were once outside sharpening themselves on war are now indoors there, in the fortress, fragile in glass cases; Why is it (I'm thinking of the careful moulding round the stonework archways) that in this time, such elaborate defences keep things that are no longer (much) worth defending?”
About This Quote
Source Novel: "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, 1985
Reflects on how societies preserve fragile, obsolete defenses, questioning the value of protecting what no longer matters.
In simple terms: Old defenses protect nothing useful now.
Key Takeaway
Reevaluate what we defend.
Themes
history
defense
meaninglessness
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- museum curation
- heritage preservation
- policy making
Key Concepts
politics
cultural decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What modern “fortresses” are we maintaining?
- Are we protecting the right things?
A Different Perspective
Defenses may become symbols rather than functional.
![“It was fantastic to be able to have my kids on set. Dash, my eldest son, who’s not quite five, was into knights and his godmother had given him a plastic Marks & Spencer knights’ outfit and [first assistant director] Tommy Gormley said that he could stand to protect me during the scene where Clive…” quote by Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/278/cate-blanchett-864_able_it-was-fantastic-to-be-able-to-have-my-k_2139890.jpg)
