She even had a kind of special position among men: she was an exception, she fitted none of the categories they commonly used when talking about girls; she wasn't a cock-teaser, a cold fish, an easy lay or a sneaky bitch; she was an honorary person. She had grown to share their contempt for most women.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- She occupied a unique, uncategorized place among men, sharing their disdain for most women while not fitting any stereotypical label.
- In plain terms
- She was an exception, not fitting any usual gender stereotypes.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of adopting contempt for a group you don’t belong to.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does it mean to be an 'honorary person'?
- How can one resist adopting the contempt of a dominant group?
Another view
The quote generalizes men’s attitudes and may overlook individual variation.
More from Margaret Atwood
Put yourself in a different room, that's what the mind is for.
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Permalink to quote #78 Popular art is the dream of society; it does not examine itself.
Permalink to quote #75
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