🚫 Can’t Call One’s Soul One’s Own: Tales of Debt and Dependence 🪙
To be very much in debt or bondage to another; to have lost one’s independence. This idiomatic expression dates back to the sixteenth century and has haunting echoes of financial and existential servitude.
Antonyms
- Free as a bird
- Footloose and fancy-free
- Master of one’s destiny
Related Terms and Synonyms
- Shackled
- Enslaved
- Chart-topping phrases like “being under someone’s thumb”
- In hock
- Burdened by debt
Literary References
- Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop: Mrs. Quilp, wife of the tyrannical dwarf Daniel, “daren’t call her soul her own” (Chapter 4).
Humor-filled Quotes
- “I shall have to call bankruptcy, because I can’t even call my soul my own!” —Anonymous Debtor
- “I’m so far in debt, I’m on a first-name basis with the interest rates.” — Hank Humor
Proverbs to Ponder
- “Chains of gold are still chains.” —Anon
- “Better bread with water than cake with trouble.” —Dutch Proverb
Suggested Literature
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Also explores themes of debt and personal freedom.
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo – Jean Valjean’s struggle against poverty and the weight of criminal past leads to bondage despite attempts to gain moral and physical independence.
Songs to Hum Along
- “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” by The Animals
- “Working Class Hero” by John Lennon
Cinematic Explorations
- Les Misérables (2012) – The haunting tale of economic bondage and spiritual freedom.
- Oliver Twist (2005) – Another Dickens classic exploring themes of poverty, dependence, and freedom.
### What does the expression "can’t call one’s soul one’s own" mean?
- [x] To be in significant debt or bondage to another; having lost one’s independence.
- [ ] To be spiritually enlightened.
- [ ] To suffer from identity confusion.
- [ ] To own an unlistenable voice.
> **Explanation:** This expression refers to experiencing significant debt or being in a state of bondage such that one cannot assert their independence or control over their own fate.
### Which famous work by Charles Dickens mentions “can’t call her soul her own”?
- [ ] *Great Expectations*
- [ ] *A Tale of Two Cities*
- [ ] *Hard Times*
- [x] *The Old Curiosity Shop*
> **Explanation:** The expression is used in Charles Dickens’ *The Old Curiosity Shop* where Mrs. Quilp is described as not daring to call her soul her own due to her tyrannical husband.
### Which of these terms is a synonym for "can’t call one’s soul one’s own”?
- [ ] Free as a bird
- [x] Under someone’s thumb
- [ ] At loose ends
- [ ] On cloud nine
> **Explanation:** "Under someone’s thumb" is a synonymous idiom indicating control and lack of independence, much like "can’t call one’s soul one’s own."
### True or False: "Can’t call one’s soul one’s own" means being absolutely free and independent.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** This is false. The phrase indicates a loss of independence through debt or bondage, the antithesis of freedom.
Inspirational thought-provoking farewell: May your soul remain entirely your own, unshackled by debt and free from bondage of dependence. Remember, the most important soul you call yours is the one that remains free.
— Imaginatio Narrator
