--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man is always a little shamefaced on…" description: "\"“A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day, like a fox caught in a baited trap, ensnared because his greed overcame his better judgment. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_bride_a-man-is-always-a-little-shamefaced-on-h_2971791.jpg" --- # A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day… ![“A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day, like a fox caught in a baited trap, ensnared because his greed overcame his better judgment. The menfolk laughed at Charlie that spring day, and said he was caught for sure now. As the bride, I was praised and fussed over, as if I had won a…” quote by Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_bride_a-man-is-always-a-little-shamefaced-on-h_2971791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_bride_a-man-is-always-a-little-shamefaced-on-h_2971791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_bride_a-man-is-always-a-little-shamefaced-on-h_2971791.jpg) > ““A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day, like a fox caught in a baited trap, ensnared because his greed overcame his better judgment. The menfolk laughed at Charlie that spring day, and said he was caught for sure now. As the bride, I was praised and fussed over, as if I had won a prize or done something marvelous that no one ever did before, and I could not help feeling pleased and clever that I had managed to turn myself from an ordinary girl into a shining bride. Now I think it is a dirty lie. The man is the one who is winning the game that day, though they always pretend they are not, and the poor girl bride is led into a trap of hard work and harsh words, the ripping of childbirth and the drubbing of her man's fists. It is the end of being young, but no one tells her so. Instead they make over her, and tell her how lucky she is. I wonder do slaves get dressed up in finery on the day they are sold.”” [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques gender expectations and the illusion of triumph in marriage, exposing hidden hardships. **In simple terms:** Marriage can mask deeper struggles for women. Key Takeaway Question societal narratives about marriage. Themes gender roles marriage illusion Mood critical empathetic Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - wedding planning - relationship counseling - family traditions Key Concepts feminist critique social expectations power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural myths shape marital expectations? - What support helps women navigate hidden challenges? A Different Perspective May overlook positive aspects of partnership. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bride/) [Harsh words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh-words/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Spring day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring-day/) [Wedding day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding-day/) ## Related quotes > [There are no ordinary feelings. Just as there are no ordinary spring days or kicked over cans of paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-young/there-are-no-ordinary-feelings-just-as-there-are-no-ordinary-spring/) [Dean Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-young/) > [“The carol was giddily busy and incessant, but my eyes saw nothing. That bird never stops and must, it appears, sing out the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soseki-natsume/the-carol-was-giddily-busy-and-incessant-but-my-eyes-saw-nothing-that/) [Sōseki Natsume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soseki-natsume/) > [It was an ideal spring day, a light blue sky, flecked with little fleecy white clouds drifting across from west to east. The sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-an-ideal-spring-day-a-light-blue-sky-flecked-with-little/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/all-big-men-are-dreamers-they-see-things-in-the-soft-haze-of-a-spring/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-first-day-of-spring-is-one-thing-and-the-first-spring-day-is/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [“Why can't I remember our family Christmas, or a warm spring day, or anything that might have been pleasant? It is as though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kettlewell/why-can-t-i-remember-our-family-christmas-or-a-warm-spring-day-or/) [Caroline Kettlewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kettlewell/) > [The spirit of the South Atlantic was the spirit of Britain at her best. It has been said that we surprised the world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-spirit-of-the-south-atlantic-was-the-spirit-of-britain-at-her/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [“Joy is found in the simple and ordinary things of life: the smile of a newborn baby, the kiss from a sweet new puppy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-cornelio/joy-is-found-in-the-simple-and-ordinary-things-of-life-the-smile-of-a/) [Marie Cornelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-cornelio/) > [They were pleasant spring days, in which the winter of man's discontent was thawing as well as the earth, and the life that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/they-were-pleasant-spring-days-in-which-the-winter-of-man-s/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Then said Fate to Chance: "Let us play our old game again." And they played it again together, using the gods as pieces, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-dunsany/then-said-fate-to-chance-let-us-play-our-old-game-again-and-they/) [Lord Dunsany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-dunsany/) > [Almond blossom, sent to teach us That the spring days soon will reach us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arnold/almond-blossom-sent-to-teach-us-that-the-spring-days-soon-will-reach/) [Edwin Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arnold/) > [“To minimize the sense of confinement, one of our video channels provided a breathtaking view of our journey, as seen from a helicopter flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/to-minimize-the-sense-of-confinement-one-of-our-video-channels/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“I recall looking out the window at Redbuds,Dogwoods, daffodils, irises and pom-pom bushes, knowing exactly what Heaven must look like: a spring day in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/i-recall-looking-out-the-window-at-redbuds-dogwoods-daffodils-irises/) [Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/) > [“She was perhaps seventeen when it happened. She was in Central Park, in New York. It was too warm for such an early spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/she-was-perhaps-seventeen-when-it-happened-she-was-in-central-park-in/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“My first day back to school is just as I expect, the hall does a red sea part when I come in, conversations hush,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/my-first-day-back-to-school-is-just-as-i-expect-the-hall-does-a-red/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) ## More by Sharyn McCrumb > [“Seasons didn't come behind the nicotine-stained walls of Mountain City's prison, so Harm always imagined it spring--the locust trees clustered with shaggy white blooms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/seasons-didn-t-come-behind-the-nicotine-stained-walls-of-mountain/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [SHADOW KNIGHT'S MATE is a compelling story, extremely well-written and alarmingly plausible. Jay Brandon does for politics what Dan Brown did for religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/shadow-knight-s-mate-is-a-compelling-story-extremely-well-written-and/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Cities are judged by their richest inhabitants and rural areas are judged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/cities-are-judged-by-their-richest-inhabitants-and-rural-areas-are/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“The people who live happily ever after - they don't appear in the history books. They just fade away. I reckon that's what happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/the-people-who-live-happily-ever-after-they-don-t-appear-in-the/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [I wonder which is worse-the death, not knowing what comes after, or the wedding, when you think you know, but you're wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/i-wonder-which-is-worse-the-death-not-knowing-what-comes-after-or-the/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Nobody has time to write a book. Some people just do it anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/nobody-has-time-to-write-a-book-some-people-just-do-it-anyhow/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Machines seem to sense that I am afraid of them. It makes them hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/machines-seem-to-sense-that-i-am-afraid-of-them-it-makes-them-hostile/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“Oh, son, hardly anybody wants to leave. These mountains are more than just a place for folks around here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/oh-son-hardly-anybody-wants-to-leave-these-mountains-are-more-than/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Trying to act normal is the most unnatural behavior of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/trying-to-act-normal-is-the-most-unnatural-behavior-of-all/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/there-is-a-time-in-late-september-when-the-leaves-are-still-green-and/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“Being a professional writer is a lot like being a hooker. You'd better find out if you're any good at it before you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/being-a-professional-writer-is-a-lot-like-being-a-hooker-you-d-better/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [High school and equality are forever incompatible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/high-school-and-equality-are-forever-incompatible/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“The most momentous events in life—baptisms, weddings, and funerals—don’t seem to take much time, but the effects of them bind up the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/the-most-momentous-events-in-life-baptisms-weddings-and-funerals-don/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Boondocks' is simply the Tagalog word for mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/boondocks-is-simply-the-tagalog-word-for-mountains/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [You take a handful of rocks and put them in a jar. Then once a week, you take one tiny pebble out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/you-take-a-handful-of-rocks-and-put-them-in-a-jar-then-once-a-week/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) [Explore all 34 Sharyn McCrumb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) ## More Bride quotes > [All I ever wanted was to be a sexy bride, and actually, I think I've turned into a romantic bride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-delevingne/all-i-ever-wanted-was-to-be-a-sexy-bride-and-actually-i-think-i-ve/) [Poppy Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-delevingne/) > [What a beautiful wedding! What a beautiful wedding! says a bridesmaid to a waiter. And yes, but what a shame, what a shame the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panic-at-the-disco/what-a-beautiful-wedding-what-a-beautiful-wedding-says-a-bridesmaid/) [Panic At The Disco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panic-at-the-disco/) > [Life without rules is like a bride without wearing jewellery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-without-rules-is-like-a-bride-without-wearing-jewellery/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Oh, they'll never believe a woman could solve such puzzles. They'll just assume I'm humoring you by editing it myself and allowing you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeanne-gist/oh-they-ll-never-believe-a-woman-could-solve-such-puzzles-they-ll/) [Deeanne Gist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeanne-gist/) > [Well, what I mean is that I shouldn't mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/well-what-i-mean-is-that-i-shouldn-t-mind-being-a-bride-at-a-wedding/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Dreams are a beautiful bride that holds our hands to enter a world more glorious than this one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhan-zein/dreams-are-a-beautiful-bride-that-holds-our-hands-to-enter-a-world/) [Subhan Zein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhan-zein/) > [“Young man, the fact that she did not accept your proposal for a relationship does not define why you should hate her. She may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/young-man-the-fact-that-she-did-not-accept-your-proposal-for-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“When Er Lang comes for his answer, I will tell him that I’ve always thought he was a monster. And that I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yangsze-choo/when-er-lang-comes-for-his-answer-i-will-tell-him-that-i-ve-always/) [Yangsze Choo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yangsze-choo/) > [“She was like a bride-to-be who begins to feel her sickening qualms as the day approaches, and dares not speak her mind because so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/she-was-like-a-bride-to-be-who-begins-to-feel-her-sickening-qualms-as/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“I understand that you are under a lot of pressure and that it's hard being a bride. That is all well and good. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-understand-that-you-are-under-a-lot-of-pressure-and-that-it-s-hard/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Pursuing a dream without God’s approval is as dangerous as walking on a rope bridge over a big gutter? Guess the end….!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/pursuing-a-dream-without-god-s-approval-is-as-dangerous-as-walking-on/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Being a bride for Gaultier was a very special moment for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreja-pejic/being-a-bride-for-gaultier-was-a-very-special-moment-for-me/) [Andreja Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreja-pejic/) > [Suddenly he stops. He looks up. For, lo, there she stands. The girl of his dreams. Who she is or whence she came, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/suddenly-he-stops-he-looks-up-for-lo-there-she-stands-the-girl-of-his/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [“Stop fussing,” Legna admonished her, tapping her finger against Isabella’s absently energetic hand. “I’m getting married in a few minutes, Legna, I think I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-frank/stop-fussing-legna-admonished-her-tapping-her-finger-against-isabella/) [Jacquelyn Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-frank/) > [“I was to be a bride, but whose? Councilor Branwick had assured me that the Council of Citizens would let me know the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-carter/i-was-to-be-a-bride-but-whose-councilor-branwick-had-assured-me-that/) Lea Carter [Browse all 249 Bride quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bride/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day, like a fox caught in a baited trap, ensnared because his greed overcame his better judgment. The menfolk laughed at Charlie that spring day, and said he was caught for sure now. As the bride, I was praised and fussed over, as if I had won a prize or done something marvelous that no one ever did before, and I could not help feeling pleased and clever that I had managed to turn myself from an ordinary girl into a shining bride. Now I think it is a dirty lie. The man is the one who is winning the game that day, though they always pretend they are not, and the poor girl bride is led into a trap of hard work and harsh words, the ripping of childbirth and the drubbing of her man's fists. It is the end of being young, but no one tells her so. Instead they make over her, and tell her how lucky she is. 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