Literary notes about Withdrawn (AI summary)
Literary works employ "withdrawn" in a range of contexts that traverse the physical, emotional, and metaphorical. In some narratives, it denotes a literal removal or retraction—troops being recalled from a battle [1, 2] or celestial bodies that seem to retract their radiance [3]—which underscores a transition from presence to absence. In other instances, the word connotes an internal or subtle distancing, as in the depiction of a character whose mood becomes silently withdrawn, influencing the tone of interaction [4]. Its application even extends to realms such as legal maneuverings and financial decisions, where actions like retracting a claim or a fund evoke a deliberate removal [5, 6]. This multiplicity in usage enriches the narrative by allowing "withdrawn" to simultaneously paint pictures of physical separation and the intimate inner landscapes of its characters.
- The troops were withdrawn from the north side of the James River on the night of the 20th.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - Reinforcements were sent therefore to Early, and this before any of our troops had been withdrawn.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - At their presence the earth hath trembled, the heavens are moved: the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - When his mood was silent and withdrawn, no one ventured to speak; when his laugh rang jovially, children looked upon him as their own.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - Defendant's counsel stated to the magistrate that if the complaint was withdrawn, it must be without the request or consent of the defendant.
— from Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup - That deposit may be at any moment withdrawn, and if I had employed it for another purpose, I should bring on me a disgraceful bankruptcy.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
