His face contained for me all possibilities of fierceness and sweetness, pride and submissiveness, violence, self-containment. I never saw more in it than I had when I saw it first, because I saw everything then. The whole thing in him that I was going to love, and never catch or explain.
In Alice Munro's "Lives of Girls and Women," the narrator reflects on a person's face that embodies a complex mix of emotions and characteristics. They perceive fierce and gentle qualities, pride and humility, as well as a duality of aggression and calmness. The narrator acknowledges that from the very first encounter, they recognized the fullness of what this person represented, a blend of feelings they would come to love yet find difficult to fully grasp or articulate.
This deep connection suggests an appreciation for the layered nature of human identity, where one face can hold a spectrum of possibilities. The narrator's admission of never seeing more than the initial impression highlights the enigmatic quality of love and attraction, revealing the ineffable essence of human relationships that are often beyond explanation.
