Another man Quote by William Faulkner
““Doomed and knew it, accepted the doom without either seeking or fleeing it. Loved her brother despite him, loved not only him but loved in him that bitter prophet and inflexible corruptless judge of what he considered the family's honor and its doom, as he thought he loved but really hated in her what he considered the frail doomed vessel of its pride and the foul instrument of its disgrace, not only this, she loved him not only in spite of but because of the fact that he himself was incapable of love, accepting the fact that he must value above all not her but the virginity of which she was custodian and on which she placed no value whatever: the frail physical stricture which to her was no more than a hangnail would have been. Knew the brother loved death best of all and was not jealous, would (and perhaps in the calculation and deliberation of her marriage did) have handed him the hypothetical hemlock. Was two months pregnant with another man's child which regardless of what its sex would be she had already named Quentin after the brother whom they both (she and her brother) knew was already the same as dead...””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, 1936
A complex tale of familial duty, forbidden love, and the burden of destiny, where characters accept tragic fates without resistance.
In simple terms: Family duty and tragic love intertwine.
Accept fate, but seek agency.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- marriage decisions
- pregnancy dilemmas
- family expectations
- moral conflict
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does acceptance shape identity?
- Can love justify harmful obligations?
The narrative may romanticize suffering, overlooking personal empowerment.