# To Strive and Fail explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Voltairine de Cleyre.

## What happens

A woman struggles to play a zither, haunted by her inability to capture the inner song she hears. She reflects on her father's unfulfilled dreams and her grandmother's tragic death in America, concluding that she comes from a line of those who strived and failed. She bitterly resigns herself to sacrificing her soul for survival.

## Themes in this chapter

### Art and Creativity

The protagonist's desperate attempt to play the zither and capture the inner song represents the struggle to express artistic vision.

### Suffering and Oppression

The chapter depicts the suffering of the protagonist's grandmother, who died in poverty, and the generational burden of unfulfilled dreams.

### Resilience and the Human Spirit

Despite repeated failure, the protagonist continues to strive, reflecting a resilient human spirit.

## Character check-ins

### Effie

The protagonist, a woman who struggles to play the zither and feels she will never capture the music within her.

### Albert

The composer of 'Herbst-Klage,' whose music the protagonist attempts to play.

## Key lines

> She knew how it ought to be, but she could never do it⁠—never make the strings strike true to the song that was sounding within

She understood the ideal but could never execute it perfectly.

_Highlights the gap between artistic vision and execution._

> I was born to strive and fail.

My destiny is to attempt and ultimately fall short.

_Central theme of the chapter, encapsulating the protagonist's fatalistic view._

> My soul for their diamonds!

I sacrifice my innermost self for material wealth.

_Bitter critique of societal demands that crush the spirit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_55_se/chapters/to-strive-and-fail
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_55_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_55_se/chapters