--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?'…" description: "\"“But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?' 'Oh, nameless things. Things which sound very silly when they are put into words. Mostly of having life suddenly..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c6/margaret-mitchell-692_art_but-ashley-what-are-you-afraid-of-oh-nam_1064998.jpg" --- # But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?' 'Oh, nameless… ![“But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?' 'Oh, nameless things. Things which sound very silly when they are put into words. Mostly of having life suddenly become too real, of being brought into personal, too personal, contact with some of the simple facts of life. It isn't that I mind splitting logs…” quote by Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c6/margaret-mitchell-692_art_but-ashley-what-are-you-afraid-of-oh-nam_1064998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c6/margaret-mitchell-692_art_but-ashley-what-are-you-afraid-of-oh-nam_1064998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c6/margaret-mitchell-692_art_but-ashley-what-are-you-afraid-of-oh-nam_1064998.jpg) > ““But, Ashley, what are you afraid of?' 'Oh, nameless things. Things which sound very silly when they are put into words. Mostly of having life suddenly become too real, of being brought into personal, too personal, contact with some of the simple facts of life. It isn't that I mind splitting logs here in the mud, but I do mind what it stands for. I do mind, very much, the loss of the beauty of the old life I loved. Scarlett, before the war, life was beautiful. There was a glamor to it, a perfection and a completeness and a symmetry to it like Grecian art. Maybe it wasn't so to everyone. I know that now. But to me, living at Twelve Oaks, there was a real beauty to living. I belonged in that life. I was a part of it. And now it is gone and I am out of place in this new life, and I am afraid. Now, I know that in the old days it was a shadow show I watched. I avoided everything which was not shadowy, people and situations which were too real, too vital. I resented their intrusion.”” [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## 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 fears confronting the stark reality of change, mourning the loss of a cherished past. **In simple terms:** Fear of reality replaces the comfort of nostalgic memory. Key Takeaway Embrace change despite fear. Themes fear nostalgia war identity loss Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - personal growth - grief counseling - historical study - creative writing Key Concepts Existential dread psychological trauma memory war impact Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your past do you cling to? - How can you honor memory while moving forward? A Different Perspective Nostalgia can blind us to necessary adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Ashley wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashley-wilkes/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Facts of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts-of-life/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [New life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-life/) [Old life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Real beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-beauty/) ## Related quotes > [“She's belonged to me her whole life, but I only got my hands on her five months ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-dominguez/she-s-belonged-to-me-her-whole-life-but-i-only-got-my-hands-on-her/) [Ella Dominguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-dominguez/) > [“For I am fighting for the old days, the old ways which I love so much, but which, I fear, are now gone forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/for-i-am-fighting-for-the-old-days-the-old-ways-which-i-love-so-much/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“Rhett, do you really--is it to protect me that you--" "Yes, my dear, it is my much advertised chivalry that makes me protect you."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/rhett-do-you-really-is-it-to-protect-me-that-you-yes-my-dear-it-is-my/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“Melanie is the gentlest of dreams and a part of my dreaming. 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We all don't think alike or act alike and it's wrong to-to judge others by ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/people-must-do-what-they-must-do-we-all-don-t-think-alike-or-act/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [All you have done is to be different from other women and you have made a little success of it. This is unforgivable sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-you-have-done-is-to-be-different-from-other-women-and-you-have/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“She felt puzzled and ashamed, as always when people attributed to her emotions and motives they possessed and thought she shared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-felt-puzzled-and-ashamed-as-always-when-people-attributed-to-her/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I do not want to marry you or anyone else. I am not a marrying man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-do-not-want-to-marry-you-or-anyone-else-i-am-not-a-marrying-man/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) [Explore all 391 Margaret Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. 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