Never mind. Point being that you don't have to get too worked up about us, dear educated minds. You don't have to think of us as real girls, real flesh and blood, real pain, real injustice. That might be too upsetting. Just discard the sordid part. Consider us pure symbol. We're no more real than money.
In "The Penelopiad," Margaret Atwood presents a perspective that invites readers to detach emotionally from the characters and their struggles. The quote emphasizes that the characters can be seen as symbols rather than real individuals, suggesting that engaging with their pain and injustice might be overwhelming for educated minds. It suggests a deliberate avoidance of the harsher truths of their experiences.
This reduction to symbolism implies that their stories, like money, carry meaning but lack the depth of real human suffering. By encouraging this viewpoint, Atwood challenges readers to reflect on how easily narratives can be simplified, leading to a disconnection from the very real issues of human existence and suffering.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
