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"To recognize that the picture is but the by-product of the action is to make rather more arduous the task of maintaining one's self-image. . ." (164).

arduous:  involving or requiring strenuous efforts, tiring and difficult.

sentence: Not overly ecstatic about the thought of moving, she moved the boxes from her bedroom to the truck, an arduous task.

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"In certain ways they tell us sadder things about what the culture has done to them than the theorists ever did, and they aso tell us, I suspect, that the movement is no longer a cause but a symptom" (118).
Didion ends this section of her novel, about women and feminism, with this quote. I think this leaves a powerful impact on the reader, stating how the feminist movement and the movement for equality amongst all people, including women, is no longer a movement that is looking for a cause and everyone involved in it is supporting this cause. It is rather a movement that people are a part of because they feel they have to be...it is a "symptom" of the society we live in today.

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"To ask the obvious- why did she not get herself another gynecologist, another job, why did she not get out of bed and turn off the television set, or why, the most eccentric detail, she stayed in hotels where only doughnuts could be obtained from room service-was to join this argument at its own spooky level, a level which had only the most tenuous and unfortunate relationship to the actual condition of being a woman" (115).
I particularly enjoyed this quote because it embodied many common misperceptions in one. Didion addresses the common questions that people (mainly men) ask about why women don't just do something to change the way they are living. And then she contradicts these very questions by stating that by asking them, you are joining in on a fight where one side is fighting based on misconceptions, not based on what it is realistically like to be a woman in this time period.

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"The minorities seemed to promise more, but finally disappointed: it developed that they actually cared about the issues, that they tended to see the integration of the luncheonette and the seat in the front of the bus as real goals, and only rarely as ploys, counters in a larger game" (110).
This quote shows Didion's take on feminism as a subject. During that time, people were beginning to realize that minority groups were putting effort and fighting for things that they actually cared about and believed in, not just for show to the political world, which is a common misconception today.

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"Some of us who live in arid parts of the world think about water with a reverence others might find excessive" (59).

arid: having little or no rain

sentence: After a rather arid few months, we felt hopeful that fall would bring us the beautiful rainstorms we were hoping for all summer.

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"The Getty advises us that not much changes. The Getty tells us that we were never any better than we are and will never be any better than we were, and in so doing makes a profoundly unpopular political statement" (76).
This quote resonates with me due to how insightful it is based off of one object in a small part of Didion's life. The Getty is more or less a museum, that Didion refers to as a "monument to fine arts", and Didion reads into this one monument so deeply that she concludes with an insightful statement about people that visit the Getty and what it reminds them of. I find it inspiring that Didion is able to take an everyday place like a museum and find a way to connect it to everyone's lives, based on what a "profound political statement" it makes.

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"Not many people I know carry their end of the conversation when I want to talk about water deliveries, even when I stress that those deliveries affect their lives, indirectly, every day" (62).
This quote particularly stood out to me because of how much it puts an emphasis on Didion's casual and conversational tone. After going through multiple pages of describing the process of water's life cycle, she continues to tell how that rather boring subject was one she enjoyed talking about- because she thinks it is important to talk about things that are crucial in your life. But, her friends seem to disagree. This one statement emphasizes how brutally honest she is being with her readers, regardless of how flavorless the topic of conversation is- she is just describing her life.

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". . . and I would emerge after the interview like Persephone from the underworld, euphoric, elated" (43).

euphoric: feeling intense excitement or happiness

sentence: Unaware that she was even nominated, she ran on stage to accept the award, surprised, euphoric, and glowing.

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"This may be a parable, either of my life as a reporter during this period or of the period itself" (36).
This quote appealed to me because up until now, it was evident that Didion was not just recounting those years in her life but rather giving a recap of everything that was going on in the world around her during those years, from multiple points of view. So, it is interesting to note that Didion was aware that she was writing this in terms of her own experiences as well as others'.

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"I am telling you neither that Huey Newton killed John Frey nor that Huey Newton did not kill John Frey, for in the context of revolutionary politics Huey Newton's guilt or innocence was irrelevant. I am telling you only how Huey Newton happened to be in the Alameda County Jail, and why rallies were held in his name, demonstrations whenever he appeared in court" (27).
This quote is significant because it gives a background to Didion's purpose in writing the novel. Although she touches on multiple rather controversial subjects, she is not writing this book to preach nor to give her political opinion, rather to discuss the effects of these political causes and actions that are happening all across the country.

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I personally chose to read "The White Album" by Joan Didion because I am finding myself becoming and increasingly bigger fan of Didion's works. After reading "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" over the summer, and "The Year of Magical Thinking" for the first independent reading book, I wanted to continue to read some of Didion's other works.