--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat…" description: "\"“Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that table of correspondence, silhouetted by sunlight . . . Her hair truly did look like an octop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/tessa-dare-564_tentacles_astonishing-in-the-morning-when-she-sat_2272089.png" --- # Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that… ![“Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that table of correspondence, silhouetted by sunlight . . . Her hair truly did look like an octopus. It was the way she wore it, he thought. Or maybe the way it wore her. It all sat perched atop her head in that big, inky blob. And no matter how…” quote by Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/tessa-dare-564_tentacles_astonishing-in-the-morning-when-she-sat_2272089.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/tessa-dare-564_tentacles_astonishing-in-the-morning-when-she-sat_2272089.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/tessa-dare-564_tentacles_astonishing-in-the-morning-when-she-sat_2272089.png) > ““Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that table of correspondence, silhouetted by sunlight . . . Her hair truly did look like an octopus. It was the way she wore it, he thought. Or maybe the way it wore her. It all sat perched atop her head in that big, inky blob. And no matter how strenuously she pinned it, dark, heavy curls worked loose on all sides, like tentacles. Of course, it was an entrancing, strangely erotic octopus. Ransom worried this might be how fetishes developed.”” [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) ## 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 describes a woman's hair as an octopus, blending admiration with a hint of fetishistic curiosity, highlighting how physical traits can become objects of erotic fascination. **In simple terms:** Hair is likened to an octopus, evoking both allure and fetish. Key Takeaway Recognize when admiration turns into objectification. Themes beauty eroticism objectification perception fetish Mood curious introspective slightly uneasy Type literary descriptive observational When to use this quote - Romantic encounter - character description - intimate setting Key Concepts Aestheticization psychology gender dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever notice how physical features become focal points in attraction? - When does admiration become fetish? A Different Perspective May reduce the person to a visual trait, ignoring deeper qualities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Erotic Octopus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erotic-octopus-5269580/) [Like Octopus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-octopus-551064/) [Like Tentacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-tentacles-2500289/) [Octopus Ransom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/octopus-ransom-5269581/) [Tentacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tentacles/) ## Related quotes > [“The remnants of my dress hung like tentacles and from my back arched a pari of towering wings, feather-light but suggesting enourmous power. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/the-remnants-of-my-dress-hung-like-tentacles-and-from-my-back-arched/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [the tentacles of today reach out like an octopus to swallow yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-taber/the-tentacles-of-today-reach-out-like-an-octopus-to-swallow-yesterday/) [Gladys Taber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-taber/) > [“My arms and legs were wrapped like tentacles around Echo, my nymph who lay sleeping with her back against me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/my-arms-and-legs-were-wrapped-like-tentacles-around-echo-my-nymph-who/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [“He let his eyes flitter over her. “I don’t see anything ‘precisely.’ I can tell you’re slender. I can see you’re wearing white, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/he-let-his-eyes-flitter-over-her-i-don-t-see-anything-precisely-i-can/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [Rock music sounds like an octopus making love to a bagpipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-dave-gardner/rock-music-sounds-like-an-octopus-making-love-to-a-bagpipe/) [Brother Dave Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-dave-gardner/) > [“You're like an octopus then? Your skin can like really actually change like--like an octopus, like a cuttle fish, like all those things I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-saylor/you-re-like-an-octopus-then-your-skin-can-like-really-actually-change/) [Rachel Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-saylor/) > [With the exception of octopus, I don't think I've met any food that I didn't like. And by the way, sometimes I do like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/with-the-exception-of-octopus-i-don-t-think-i-ve-met-any-food-that-i/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/talent-without-discipline-is-like-an-octopus-on-roller-skates-there-s/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/talent-without-discipline-is-like-an-octopus-on-roller-skates/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [“Kaua e mate wheke. Me mate ururoa. (Don't die like an octopus. Die like a hammerhead shark.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maori-proverb/kaua-e-mate-wheke-me-mate-ururoa-don-t-die-like-an-octopus-die-like-a/) [Maori proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maori-proverb/) > [When the narrator feels like an octopus, when he says his limbs are starting to multiply, he means he has inklings of orders of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/when-the-narrator-feels-like-an-octopus-when-he-says-his-limbs-are/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“and a whimsical ceramic sugar bowl shaped like an octopus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/and-a-whimsical-ceramic-sugar-bowl-shaped-like-an-octopus/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [“What does it feel like to be an octopus? To be a jellyfish? Does it feel like anything at all? Which were the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-godfrey-smith/what-does-it-feel-like-to-be-an-octopus-to-be-a-jellyfish-does-it/) [Peter Godfrey-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-godfrey-smith/) > [“Perhaps the highlight was Natalie on top of the table, doing some kind of dance that made her look like an octopus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-cass/perhaps-the-highlight-was-natalie-on-top-of-the-table-doing-some-kind/) [Kiera Cass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-cass/) > [“Once one seizes happiness, one should hang onto it like an octopus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/once-one-seizes-happiness-one-should-hang-onto-it-like-an-octopus/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Tessa Dare > [“This explains so much," she said, clucking her tongue in mother-hen fashion. "You're compensating for this withered appendage." Withered appendage? What the devil was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-explains-so-much-she-said-clucking-her-tongue-in-mother-hen/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“You think a few features scattered on your face make you plain? I am ugly to the core. All England knows it. And after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/you-think-a-few-features-scattered-on-your-face-make-you-plain-i-am/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“I’d be more than happy to let you survey my physical perfection in its entirety. But only if I get to see you, too.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/i-d-be-more-than-happy-to-let-you-survey-my-physical-perfection-in/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Words for everyday showers of prettiness, and the kind of misty loveliness that disappears whenever you try to grasp it. Beauty that’s heralded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/words-for-everyday-showers-of-prettiness-and-the-kind-of-misty/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“ The captain? Sophia stood staring numbly after him. Had he just said he’d introduce her to the captain? Of someone else was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-captain-sophia-stood-staring-numbly-after-him-had-he-just-said-he/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Madeline stood before him in a gown of rich, emerald-green silk. The low-cut bodice did miraculous things for her bosom, and the vibrant color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/madeline-stood-before-him-in-a-gown-of-rich-emerald-green-silk-the/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And she was well-enough acquainted with loneliness to understand that the worst part wasn't having nobody caring for you - it was having nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-she-was-well-enough-acquainted-with-loneliness-to-understand-that/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“He stood in the doorway to a side chamber, bared to the waist and dripping. He propped one shoulder against the doorway and clutched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/he-stood-in-the-doorway-to-a-side-chamber-bared-to-the-waist-and/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And you claim to be feeling this way. Floatish. Singsong-ish. About me.” She sighed. “Yes.” “That’s absurd.” “I know, but I can’t seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-you-claim-to-be-feeling-this-way-floatish-singsong-ish-about-me/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“No, of course she didn't say it. But there is no other reason she should have called, except to pave the way for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/no-of-course-she-didn-t-say-it-but-there-is-no-other-reason-she/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And there it was. The prim face of censure he’d been seeking. A strange sense of satisfaction descended on him. Divine justice, perhaps. Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-there-it-was-the-prim-face-of-censure-he-d-been-seeking-a-strange/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Another sketch-this one of Gabriel-hung on the all above the water cask. It swiveled gently on a single tack; or rather, the paper hung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/another-sketch-this-one-of-gabriel-hung-on-the-all-above-the-water/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“I know what you’re thinking, Gray,” O’Shea’s brogue lilted down through the skylight one warm morning, while Sophia was hard at work. Mr. Grayson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-gray-o-shea-s-brogue-lilted-down-through/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“The path was a familiar one. Over the years she’d resided in Spindle Cove, Susanna must have walked it thousands of times. She knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-path-was-a-familiar-one-over-the-years-she-d-resided-in-spindle/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Miss Finch, it’s not wise for officers to quarter in the same house with an unmarried gentlewoman. Have a care for your reputation, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/miss-finch-it-s-not-wise-for-officers-to-quarter-in-the-same-house/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) [Explore all 472 Tessa Dare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) ## More Tentacles quotes > [I'm aware that because America is so powerful - with its tentacles reaching out to the world - one doesn't escape it by leaving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-m-aware-that-because-america-is-so-powerful-with-its-tentacles/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Despite a primitive brain, the octopus possesses an intricate system that helps it decide which tentacle to masturbate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/despite-a-primitive-brain-the-octopus-possesses-an-intricate-system/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [ \[The Library of Congress\] is a multimedia encyclopedia. These are the tentacles of a nation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-library-of-congress-is-a-multimedia-encyclopedia-these-are-the/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our Laodicean culture with all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-you-continue-to-see-that-you-re/) [Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/) > [I came," she said, "hoping you could talk me out of a fantasy." Cherish it!" cried Hilarious, fiercely. "What else do any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/i-came-she-said-hoping-you-could-talk-me-out-of-a-fantasy-cherish-it/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [The fact is that you can be a Nazi living in a little trailer in the middle of Montana and as awful as everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-theroux/the-fact-is-that-you-can-be-a-nazi-living-in-a-little-trailer-in-the/) [Louis Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-theroux/) > [A lot of my peer group think I'm an eccentric bisexual, like I may even have an ammonia-filled tentacle somewhere on my body. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-downey-jr/a-lot-of-my-peer-group-think-i-m-an-eccentric-bisexual-like-i-may/) [Robert Downey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-downey-jr/) > [“Nothing in the world has tentacles or fins or paws or claws. Nothing in the world soars. Nothing swims. Nothing purrs, barks, growls, roars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/nothing-in-the-world-has-tentacles-or-fins-or-paws-or-claws-nothing/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“His words thrummed in, deep, imprinting themselves on her very deepest, deepest, deep bits. “I believe I am your destiny. You are mine, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-silverwood/his-words-thrummed-in-deep-imprinting-themselves-on-her-very-deepest/) [Cari Silverwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-silverwood/) > [Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has – has a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-consolmagno/any-entity-no-matter-how-many-tentacles-it-has-has-a-soul/) [Guy Consolmagno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-consolmagno/) > [I feel like I'm lost in an anime movie" I said, as Coyote picked the thing up. "One of the tentacle-monster ones." Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-feel-like-i-m-lost-in-an-anime-movie-i-said-as-coyote-picked-the/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [The EU is deeply harmful, it is an anti-democratic monster. I want to prevent it from becoming fatter, from continuing to breathe, from grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/the-eu-is-deeply-harmful-it-is-an-anti-democratic-monster-i-want-to/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [An amoeba is a formless thing which takes many shapes. It moves by thrusting out an arm, and flowing into the arm. It multiplies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-laird/an-amoeba-is-a-formless-thing-which-takes-many-shapes-it-moves-by/) [Charlton Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-laird/) > [Young people now reside in a world in which there are few public spheres or social spaces autonomous from the reach of the market,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/young-people-now-reside-in-a-world-in-which-there-are-few-public/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [China and Russia play very different roles. They both are getting involved across the world in all different pockets. Their tentacles are everywhere. Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-haley/china-and-russia-play-very-different-roles-they-both-are-getting/) [Nikki Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-haley/) [Browse all 77 Tentacles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tentacles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that table of correspondence, silhouetted by sunlight . . . Her hair truly did look like an octopus. It was the way she wore it, he thought. Or maybe the way it wore her. It all sat perched atop her head in that big, inky blob. And no matter how strenuously she pinned it, dark, heavy curls worked loose on all sides, like tentacles. Of course, it was an entrancing, strangely erotic octopus. 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