--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was drizzling. As people rushed along…" description: "\"“It was drizzling. As people rushed along, they began opening umbrellas over their heads, and all at once the streets were crowded, too. Arched umbrell..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/milan-kundera-120_long-legs_it-was-drizzling-as-people-rushed-along_936544.jpg" --- # It was drizzling. As people rushed along, they began… ![“It was drizzling. As people rushed along, they began opening umbrellas over their heads, and all at once the streets were crowded, too. Arched umbrella roofs collided with one another. The men were courteous, and when passing Tereza they held their umbrellas high over their heads and gave her room…” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/milan-kundera-120_long-legs_it-was-drizzling-as-people-rushed-along_936544.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/milan-kundera-120_long-legs_it-was-drizzling-as-people-rushed-along_936544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ae/milan-kundera-120_long-legs_it-was-drizzling-as-people-rushed-along_936544.jpg) > ““It was drizzling. As people rushed along, they began opening umbrellas over their heads, and all at once the streets were crowded, too. Arched umbrella roofs collided with one another. The men were courteous, and when passing Tereza they held their umbrellas high over their heads and gave her room to go by. But the women would not yield; each looked straight ahead, waiting for the other woman to acknowledge her inferiority and step aside. The meeting of the umbrellas was a test of strength. At first Tereza gave way, but when she realized her courtesy was not being reciprocated, she started clutching her umbrella like the other women and ramming it forcefully against the oncoming umbrellas. No one ever said "Sorry." For the most part no one said anything, though once or twice she did hear a "Fat cow!" or "Fuck you!" The women thus armed with umbrellas were both young and old, but the younger among them proved the more steeled warriors. Tereza recalled the days of the invasion and the girls in miniskirts carrying flags on long staffs. Theirs was a sexual vengeance: the Russian soldiers had been kept in enforced celibacy for several long years and must have felt they had landed on a planet invented by a science fiction writer, a planet of stunning women who paraded their scorn on beautiful long legs the likes of which had not been seen in Russia for the past five or six centuries. She had taken many pictures of those young women against a backdrop of tanks. How she had admired them! And now these same women were bumping into her, meanly and spitefully. Instead of flags, they held umbrellas, but they held them with the same pride. They were ready to fight as obstinately against a foreign army as against an umbrella that refused to move out of their way. ”” [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a crowded street, women’s umbrellas become symbols of power struggles, reflecting deeper social tensions and personal histories of oppression and resistance. **In simple terms:** Umbrellas symbolize gendered power contests in public space. Key Takeaway Recognize how everyday objects can reveal deeper conflicts. Themes gender power public space resistance history Mood tense observational Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - urban observation - gender studies - conflict resolution - historical analysis - literary critique Key Concepts symbolism social dynamics collective memory Questions to Reflect On - How do everyday interactions reflect broader societal power? - What can change to reduce such confrontations? A Different Perspective The scene may oversimplify complex gender relations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armed Umbrellas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-umbrellas-1567255/) [Held Umbrellas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-umbrellas-1567254/) [Long legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-legs/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Tereza Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tereza-gave-1567256/) [Umbrellas Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/umbrellas-said-1004962/) [Women Armed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-armed-1465666/) ## Related quotes > [“It was drizzling. As people rushed along, they began opening umbrellas over their heads, and all at once the streets were crowded too. 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As people rushed along, they began opening umbrellas over their heads, and all at once the streets were crowded, too. Arched umbrella roofs collided with one another. The men were courteous, and when passing Tereza they held their umbrellas high over their heads and gave her room to go by. But the women would not yield; each looked straight ahead, waiting for the other woman to acknowledge her inferiority and step aside. The meeting of the umbrellas was a test of strength. At first Tereza gave way, but when she realized her courtesy was not being reciprocated, she started clutching her umbrella like the other women and ramming it forcefully against the oncoming umbrellas. No one ever said \"Sorry.\" For the most part no one said anything, though once or twice she did hear a \"Fat cow!\" or \"Fuck you!\" The women thus armed with umbrellas were both young and old, but the younger among them proved the more steeled warriors. Tereza recalled the days of the invasion and the girls in miniskirts carrying flags on long staffs. Theirs was a sexual vengeance: the Russian soldiers had been kept in enforced celibacy for several long years and must have felt they had landed on a planet invented by a science fiction writer, a planet of stunning women who paraded their scorn on beautiful long legs the likes of which had not been seen in Russia for the past five or six centuries. She had taken many pictures of those young women against a backdrop of tanks. How she had admired them! And now these same women were bumping into her, meanly and spitefully. Instead of flags, they held umbrellas, but they held them with the same pride. 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