I Who Have Never Known Men

“I was certain that I would die untouched, and I wanted to satisfy my curiosity at least. Why were they all so determined not to say anything? I tried to console myself with the thought that it was no secret anyway, because they all shared it. Was it to give it an additional sparkle that they refused to tell me, to give it the luster of a rare gem?”

The theme of The Intrinsic Value of Thinking and Knowledge appears early in the narrative when the child craves information that the women deem useless, such as here when she asks about sex. The young narrator’s sarcastic tone, using the metaphor of a gem, reveals both her bitterness and her critical thinking about the women’s perceived power. The quote also reflects the importance the women give sex, leading to the narrator’s later belief that nothing happened in her life because she never experienced physical intimacy.

“Perhaps, in stopping the story, I was disappointing an inner listener who preferred the story to the agitation, which is why she always drew it out and would happily have deprived me in order to prolong her own pleasure. Sometimes, in the course of the story, I would try and argue with her: ‘I’m tired, I want to go to sleep, let me get to the eruption, I’ll carry on tomorrow.’ But it was no use, she would not allow herself to be fooled.”

The child is exploring both her erogeneity and her creativity. Her fantasies about the young guard produce pleasurable orgasms, but she also relishes the process of storytelling. This quote features an internal debate over the relative values of thoughts and their intended results, resembling her arguments with the women about gaining information devoid of application. This scene enriches the theme of The Intrinsic Value of Thinking and Knowledge.

“Never had any of the women spoken to me for so long. I sensed that she had passed on to me everything she knew, and I experienced a mild light-headedness that was rather pleasant. It reminded me vaguely of the eruption and I promised myself I’d see if I could work it into one of my stories.”

This quote follows the narrative’s first conversation between Anthea and the child, which is representative of their lifelong relationship that follows.