--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She is awake. Again she thinks about…" description: "\"“She is awake. Again she thinks about fear. Until then, she had not been aware of fear, she had been convinced that she did not feel fear, not even whe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/slavenka-drakuli-17737_fear_she-is-awake-again-she-thinks-about-fear_2023503.jpg" --- # She is awake. Again she thinks about fear. Until then, she… ![“She is awake. Again she thinks about fear. Until then, she had not been aware of fear, she had been convinced that she did not feel fear, not even when they had taken the group of men out from the gym, or when she had heard the burst of gunfire. She listens. She knows now that fear is the absence…” quote by Slavenka Drakulić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/slavenka-drakuli-17737_fear_she-is-awake-again-she-thinks-about-fear_2023503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/slavenka-drakuli-17737_fear_she-is-awake-again-she-thinks-about-fear_2023503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/slavenka-drakuli-17737_fear_she-is-awake-again-she-thinks-about-fear_2023503.jpg) > ““She is awake. Again she thinks about fear. Until then, she had not been aware of fear, she had been convinced that she did not feel fear, not even when they had taken the group of men out from the gym, or when she had heard the burst of gunfire. She listens. She knows now that fear is the absence of all emotion, it is emptiness, it is as if your whole body is drained of blood all at once.”” [Slavenka Drakulić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavenka-drakuli/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a character’s evolving understanding of fear, realizing it is an emptiness that drains the body, not a simple emotion. **In simple terms:** Fear is portrayed as an empty, draining void. Key Takeaway Recognize fear’s deeper impact. Themes psychology emotion trauma identity Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - combat zones - personal crisis - mental health therapy - self‑reflection Key Concepts existential void emotional numbness survival instinct Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing fear change coping? - What helps fill the emotional void? A Different Perspective May conflate fear with other states. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/being-aware-of-your-fear-is-smart-overcoming-it-is-the-mark-of-a/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Fear is a normal human emotion. It is not in itself a killer. We can learn to be aware when fear grips us, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/fear-is-a-normal-human-emotion-it-is-not-in-itself-a-killer-we-can/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Most people weren’t aware enough to fear the things that could really hurt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/most-people-weren-t-aware-enough-to-fear-the-things-that-could-really/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [A fearful man who knows he is fearful is far more trustable than a fearful man who isn’t aware of his fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/a-fearful-man-who-knows-he-is-fearful-is-far-more-trustable-than-a/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Fear is the absence of faith and knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-yap/fear-is-the-absence-of-faith-and-knowledge/) Joel Yap > [Do not fear mistakes - fear only the absence of creative, constructive, and corrective responses to those mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-rolfe-kerr/do-not-fear-mistakes-fear-only-the-absence-of-creative-constructive/) W. Rolfe Kerr > [Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-mcmanus/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-the-absence-of-self/) [Erwin McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-mcmanus/) > [“Courage, I realised, was not the absence of fear: it was the absence of selfishness; putting someone else's interest before one's own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-cohen-corasanti/courage-i-realised-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-was-the-absence-of/) [Michelle Cohen Corasanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-cohen-corasanti/) > [Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/courage-is-resistance-to-fear-mastery-of-fear-not-absence-of-fear-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“My only fear is that my absence has gained more weight and popularity than my presence. The past is praised while the present is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/my-only-fear-is-that-my-absence-has-gained-more-weight-and-popularity/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [“The absence of pain led to an absence of fear, and the absence of fear led to a disregard for consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab-2/the-absence-of-pain-led-to-an-absence-of-fear-and-the-absence-of-fear-2/) [V. E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab-2/) > [“The absence of pain led to an absence of fear, and the absence of fear led to a disregard for consequence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/the-absence-of-pain-led-to-an-absence-of-fear-and-the-absence-of-fear/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Fear is the absence of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/fear-is-the-absence-of-faith/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/courage-is-resistance-to-fear-mastery-of-fear-not-absence-of-fear/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. So many look to eradicate fear from their lives, when that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/courage-is-resistance-to-fear-mastery-of-fear-not-absence-of-fear-so/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Slavenka Drakulić > [“Žene klimaju glavom, svaka ima nekoliko djece. 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Sad mi se čini da je to tek riječ za čitav niz osjećaja, od nježnosti do solidarnosti i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavenka-drakuli/na-koncu-konca-to-je-ljubav-sad-mi-se-ini-da-je-to-tek-rije-za-itav/) [Slavenka Drakulić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavenka-drakuli/) > [“Here, in the camp, she could tell any old story, these people would have no choice but to believe her. 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