She is nine, beloved, as open-faced as the sky and as self-contained. I have watched her grow. As recently as three or four years ago, she had a young child's perfectly shallow receptiveness; she fitted into the world of time, it fitted into her, as thoughtlessly as sky fits its edges, or a river its banks. But as she has grown, her smile has widened with a touch of fear and her glance has taken on depth. Now she is aware of some of the losses you incur by being here--the extortionary rent you have to pay as long as you stay. Annie Dillard
About This Quote

"She is nine, beloved, as open-faced as the sky and as self-contained. I have watched her grow. As recently as three or four years ago, she had a young child's perfectly shallow receptiveness; she fitted into the world of time, it fitted into her, as thoughtlessly as sky fits its edges, or a river its banks." This quote is written in the point of view of the narrator who has watched the growth of his niece over time. The quote suggests that she is growing older and maturing slowly.

Her face has changed from the youthful one to the matured one. The fact that she looks like the sky made by an artist shows how beautiful she is. The fact that she possesses self-containedness shows her ability to become independent.

The fact that she has grown up in a period reflects the passage of time. The quote also critiques his niece’s parents who are not being strict enough to let their daughter grow up. They are just exploiting her naivety by paying them overpriced rent for overpriced home because they are not willing to let them go away from them even if their daughter does not want to stay with them anymore.

Source: Teaching A Stone To Talk: Expeditions And Encounters

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart. - Unknown
  2. From childhood's hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone. - Edgar Allan Poe
  3. Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it's time for them to be hurt. - Haruki Murakami
  4. My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving... - Jandy Nelson
  5. We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss. - Cassandra Clare
More Quotes By Annie Dillard
  1. How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
  2. Spend the afternoon, you can't take it with you.
  3. You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it.
  4. Could two live that way? Could two live under the wild rose, and explore by the pond, so that the smooth mind of each is as everywhere present to the other, and as received and as unchallenged, as falling snow?
  5. Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?
Related Topics