"In my time and neighborhood (and in my soul) there was only one standard by which a woman measured success: did some man want her?"

Jessamyn West's quote talks to the gendered expectations and social pressures that ladies in her time and area faced. Women were not viewed as independent representatives who could specify success on their own terms. Instead, their success was measured exclusively based on whether or not they were wanted by a guy. This reflects a broader cultural belief that ladies's worth is tied to their capability to draw in male attention and approval. West suggests that this requirement was so deeply ingrained in her consciousness that it extended to her soul, highlighting the methods which these societal expectations shape and constrain specific identity.