“Truth be told, John said, the one thing in this world I want more than anything else is a great big crowbar, to jimmy myself open and take whatever creature that's sitting inside and shake it clean like a rug and then rinse it in a cold, clear lake like up in Oregon, and then I want to put it under the sun to let it heal and dry and grow and sit and come to consciousness again with a clear and quiet mind.”
In this quote from Douglas Coupland's novel, a character named John expresses a desire for self-examination and renewal. He uses the metaphor of wanting a crowbar to open himself up and cleanse whatever is inside, stripping away any impurities and allowing himself to start fresh. This desire for self-growth and clarity reflects a universal longing for introspection and renewal.
In this quote from Douglas Coupland's novel, the character John expresses a deep desire for self-reflection and renewal. This theme of inner cleansing and growth is especially relevant in today's fast-paced and chaotic world, where many individuals seek ways to find clarity and rejuvenation amidst the stress and distractions of daily life. This quote serves as a reminder of the importance of taking the time to reflect on one's inner self, heal from past wounds, and cultivate a clear and peaceful mind in order to truly thrive in the modern world.
In Douglas Coupland's novel, a character expresses a desire for a fresh start and a clean slate with a powerful metaphor involving a crowbar and a process of renewal.
This quote by Douglas Coupland from his book "Eleanor Rigby" delves into the concept of self-exploration and self-discovery. Here are some reflection questions to consider in light of this profound statement:
“Give parents the tiniest of confidences and they'll use them as crowbars to jimmy you open and rearrange your life with no perspective. Sometimes I'd just like to mace them. I want to tell them that I envy their upbringings that were so clean, so free of futurelessness. And I want to throttle them for blindly handing over the world to us like so much skid-marked underwear.”
“I imagine I sow cuttings of Anna-Louise's hair, like the fine stems of dried flowers, and watch sunflowers grow from the cuttings. I imagine I bury a pocket calculator with liquid crystals spelling her name, then watch the earth shoot forth lightning bolts. 'We should open up a seafood house together,' Anna-Louise says when she wants to torture me. Now that's love. ”
“I sit on the steps in the heat of the sun and listen as one by one these car alarms extinguish themselves until once more only the muted roar of the city is audible, and the city, bathed in sunlight, once again resumes dreaming its collective dream.Cars roll down the city's roads, plants grow from its soil, wealth is generated in its rooms, hope is created and lost and recreated in the minds and souls of its inhabitants, and the city continues its dream and searches for those ideas that will make it strong.”
“I'd sooner have died than admit that the most valuable thing I owned was a fairly extensive collection of German industrial music dance mix EP records stored for even further embarrassment under a box of crumbling Christmas tree ornaments in a Portland, Oregon basement. So I told him I owned nothing of any value.”
“I would like to fall in love again but my only hope is that love doesn't happen to me so often after this. I don't want to get so used to falling in love that i get curious to experience something more extreme - whatever that may be.”
“We'll go to a place that's quiet and dry and talk about precious things.”