“what's the matter?" he asked "nothing""what do you want me to do for you?""i want you to be old. ten years older. twenty years older"what she meant was: i want you to be weak. as weak as i am.”
Quote Analysis:
In this quote by Milan Kundera, the conversation between two characters reveals a deeper desire for equality and understanding. The request for the other person to be older is not just about age, but about experiencing the same vulnerabilities and weaknesses that the speaker feels. This desire for parity in strength and vulnerability highlights a yearning for empathy and connection between the two characters.
Exploring the Desire for Vulnerability
In this quote from Milan Kundera, we see a desire for vulnerability expressed through the request for aging. This theme of wanting someone to be weaker in order to level the playing field is still relevant today in relationships and power dynamics. It raises questions about the nature of strength and the complexities of human connection.
Dialogue Example from Milan Kundera's Work
In this dialogue example from Milan Kundera's work, the characters are having a conversation about wanting the other person to be older. However, it becomes clear that the request is actually a desire for the other person to be weak like themselves.
"“what's the matter?" he asked
"nothing"
"what do you want me to do for you?"
"i want you to be old. ten years older. twenty years older"
what she meant was: i want you to be weak. as weak as i am.” - Milan Kundera"
Reflection Questions
In this poignant exchange from Milan Kundera's work, the characters reveal a deeper desire than what is expressed at face value. This raises important questions for introspection and examination of our own relationships and vulnerabilities.
- Have you ever asked someone to change in a way that wasn't explicitly stated? How did that change impact the dynamic between you and the other person?
- What does it mean to you to be vulnerable with someone else? How does vulnerability affect relationships?
- How does the desire for someone else to experience what you are going through reflect deeper emotional needs and fears?
- In what ways can empathy and understanding enhance our connections with others, even if we may not fully comprehend their experiences?
Similar quotes
“She felt attracted by their weakness as by vertigo. She felt attracted by it because she felt weak herself. Again she began to feel jealous and again her hands shook. When Tomas noticed it, he did what he usually did: he took her hands in his and tried to calm them by pressing hard. She tore them away from him."What's the matter?" he asked."Nothing.""What do you want me to do for you?""I want you to be old. Ten years older. Twenty years older!"What she meant was: I want you to be weak. As weak as I am.”
“For years I wanted to be older, and now I am.”
“It's funny, I don't feel any older than I did when I was twenty. But I know I am, because recently some twenty-year-old called me 'sir.' Sometimes the only way you know you are getting older is by the way others treat you.”
“You’re nothing but an aging sad cliché and I don’t want any part of it anymore. You’ll wind up right here, in a room just like this, twenty years from now paying for what I’ve been giving you for free from someone even younger than I am right now. Only you’ll be twenty years older and nothing more than a broken down image of the man you used to be. Good luck with that.”
“I guess I don’t know what I want.”“I do. I want you.”“I know, but—”“Nothing will ever change that. No matter what you hear. No matter what happens.”