Joan Didion On Self Respect

Specific examples of this repetition can be found at the end of the third paragraph, where Didion says, “The dismal fact is that self-respect has nothing to do with the approval of others…” And in the fourth paragraph Didion makes a comparison between living without self-respect to lying awake in bed one night and not being able to reach the milk and pondering on past regrets – it stays with you and makes you feel negative emotions as time passes. One may post-pone those thoughts, but we all end up going back to laying in our bed at night. She, then, goes back to her principle about self-respect – “Whether or not we sleep in it depends, of course, on whether or not we respect ourselves.” The ending statement reinforces the fact that it is important to have this quality in your life, so that you do not have these negative feelings that can potentially prohibit you living life the best way you can or want to. By continuously stating these anecdotes and comparisons, the key principle of Didion’s essay always comes back and emphasizes this to readers. Repetition of this lesson is an attempt to implant this principle into reader’s head, which she is successful at.

Not having this quality can make life harder and can build up negative emotions. It is up to the individual to find this within oneself – do not always worry about the approval of others, but it is key in doing what you want and what’s best for you. Yet, also strive to overcome negative events and remember your very own self-worth. Didion accomplishes this with her exquisite imagery, powerful personal anecdotes, and enforcing repetition in combination to push for change in readers to really reflect on themselves, so they can live a better, fulfilling