And she hates being managed - that is not the word I want. What is it, Maturin?''Manipulated.''Exactly. She is a dutiful girl - a great sense of duty: I think it rather stupid, but there it is - but still she finds the way her mother has been arranging and pushing and managing and angling in all this perfectly odious. You two must have had hogsheads of that grocer's claret forced down your throats. Perfectly odious: and she is obstinate - strong, if you like - under that bread-and-butter way of hers. It will take a great deal to move her; much more than the excitement of a ball.
by Patrick O'Brian
(0 Reviews)

The character in question is portrayed as someone deeply resistant to control but possesses a strong sense of duty. This internal conflict creates tension, as she feels manipulated by her mother’s efforts to arrange her life and social engagements. Despite her sense of responsibility, these manipulations make her feel uncomfortable and resentful, which highlights her strong-willed and stubborn nature.

The narrator reflects on her obstinacy, suggesting that it will require significant effort to sway her from her steadfastness. The atmosphere created for her is filled with forced enjoyment, such as consumption of claret, which she finds distasteful. This illustrates the broader theme of personal autonomy versus external expectation in her life, particularly in the context of social events.

Stats

Categories
Votes
0
Page views
1
Update
January 31, 2025

Rate the Quote

Add Comment & Review

User Reviews

Based on 0 reviews
5 Star
0
4 Star
0
3 Star
0
2 Star
0
1 Star
0
Add Comment & Review
We'll never share your email with anyone else.
More »

Other quotes in book quote

More »

Popular quotes

My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?
by David Mitchell
A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.
by David Mitchell
The pollenless trees were genomed to repel bugs and birds; the stagnant air reeked of insecticide.
by David Mitchell
Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
by David Mitchell
Travel far enough, you meet yourself.
by David Mitchell
A random sequence of seemingly unrelated events.
by David Mitchell
People pontificate, "Suicide is selfishness." Career churchmen like Pater go a step further and call in a cowardly assault on the living. Oafs argue this specious line for varying reason: to evade fingers of blame, to impress one's audience with one's mental fiber, to vent anger, or just because one lacks the necessary suffering to sympathize. Cowardice is nothing to do with it - suicide takes considerable courage. Japanese have the right idea. No, what's selfish is to demand another to endure an intolerable existence, just to spare families, friends, and enemies a bit of soul-searching.
by David Mitchell
I believe there is another world waiting for us. A better world. And I'll be waiting for you there.
by David Mitchell
You say you're 'depressed' - all i see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn't mean you're defective - it just means you're human.
by David Mitchell
Books don't offer real escape, but they can stop a mind scratching itself raw.
by David Mitchell