Amazement Quote by Simone de Beauvoir
“Françoise could not help taking a surreptitious glance at Xavière: she gave a start of amazement. Xavière was no longer watching, her head was lowered. Françoise barely suppressed a scream. The girl was pressing the lighted end against her skin, a bitter smile curling her lips. It was an intimate, solitary smile, like that of a half-wit; the voluptuous, tortured smile of a woman possessed of some secret pleasure.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir, 1949
A woman experiences a secret, intense pleasure that is both intimate and unsettling, revealing hidden desires and inner conflict.
In simple terms: A hidden pleasure causes a conflicted, intense reaction.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge hidden desires and their emotional impact.
Themes
desire
conflict
intimacy
secret pleasure
psychology
Mood
intense
conflicted
reflective
Type
literary
psychological
feminist
When to use this quote
- personal introspection
- artistic observation
- psychological analysis
Key Concepts
Existentialism
feminist critique
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this secret pleasure reveal about her inner world?
- How does society shape hidden desires?
A Different Perspective
The description may romanticize suffering, overlooking agency.
