Madwoman

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, gender discrimination, and cursing.

“The world is not made for mothers. Yet mothers made the world. The world is not made for children. Yet children are the future.”

This quote employs juxtaposition to emphasize the relationship between mothers and children. The phrase “The world is not made for mothers” contrasts with “Yet mothers made the world.” In particular, it underscores the fact that mothers are central to life creation and yet the world is not hospitable to them—alluding both to Clove’s challenging experience as a mother and to her mother’s experience with abuse. Further, the phrase “The world is not made for children” lays the groundwork that Clove’s childhood was neither safe nor happy. Here, the author characterizes Clove as intelligent, perceptive, and cynical.

“The way violence shrinks women, makes us feel lucky for things that aren’t lucky. Even when we think we’ve outrun it, look back—see its long reaching fingers touching every choice we’ve made.”

In this passage, Bieker personifies violence as a grasping hand, touching every aspect of survivors’ lives. The verb “shrinks” emphasizes the way that violence can diminish women’s sense of self and agency.

“Now I know it was easier to fixate on small externals than address the fact that we did not know if we would live to see the next day.”

The verbal irony here highlights how trauma survivors focus on manageable details rather than imminent threats: whether they will “live to see the next day.” The phrase “now I know” signals Clove’s retrospective understanding of this, demonstrating how trauma requires time to be processed and understood.