“Marcus couldn’t believe it. Dead. A dead duck. OK, he'd been trying to hit it on the head with a piece of sandwich, but he tried to do all sorts of things, and none of them had ever happened before. He'd tried to get te highest score on the Stargazer machine in the kebab shop on Hornsey Road--nothing. He's tried to read Nicky’s thoughts by staring at the back of his head every maths lesson for a week--nothing. It really annoyed him that the only thing he'd ever achieved was something he hadn't really wanted to do that much in the first place. And anyway, since when did hitting a bird with a sandwich kill it? Kids must spend half their lives throwing things at the ducks in Regent's Park. How come he managed to pick a duck that pathetic? There must have been something wrong with it. It was probably about to die from a heart attack or something; it was just a coincidence. But if it was, nobody would believe him. If there were any witnesses, they'd only have seen the bread hit the duck right on the back of the head, and then seen it keel over. saw it die. They'd put two and two together and make five, and he'd be imprisoned for a crime he never committed. ... "What's that floating next to it?" Will asked. "Is that the bread you threw at it?" Marcus nodded unhappily. "That's not a sandwich, that's a bloody french loaf. No wonder it keeled over. That would've killed me.”
Quote Analysis
In this passage from Nick Hornby's novel, "Marcus couldn't believe it. Dead. A dead duck," the protagonist Marcus reflects on accidentally killing a duck with a piece of bread. Marcus is frustrated that the only thing he has accomplished was unintentional, and he rationalizes that the duck must have been weak or sick already. The incident serves as a comedic moment in the story, with Marcus's friend Will pointing out the absurdity of using a whole French loaf to hit the duck. This passage highlights Marcus's sense of helplessness and the unpredictability of life.
Modern Relevance
In this humorous excerpt from Nick Hornby's novel, the protagonist Marcus grapples with the unintended consequences of his actions. In today's age of social media and instant sharing, one small mistake or misinterpreted incident can quickly spiral out of control. The fear of being falsely accused or misunderstood is a sentiment that many can relate to in the digital age, where our every move is scrutinized and magnified. This passage serves as a reminder to consider the potential repercussions of our actions in a world where perceptions can easily be manipulated and distorted.
Example of Usage
Marcus couldn’t believe it. Dead. A dead duck. OK, he'd been trying to hit it on the head with a piece of sandwich, but he tried to do all sorts of things, and none of them had ever happened before. He'd tried to get the highest score on the Stargazer machine in the kebab shop on Hornsey Road--nothing. He's tried to read Nicky’s thoughts by staring at the back of his head every maths lesson for a week--nothing. It really annoyed him that the only thing he'd ever achieved was something he hadn't really wanted to do that much in the first place. And anyway, since when did hitting a bird with a sandwich kill it? Kids must spend half their lives throwing things at the ducks in Regent's Park. How come he managed to pick a duck that pathetic? There must have been something wrong with it. It was probably about to die from a heart attack or something; it was just a coincidence. But if it was, nobody would believe him. If there were any witnesses, they'd only have seen the bread hit the duck right on the back of the head, and then seen it keel over. They'd put two and two together and make five, and he'd be imprisoned for a crime he never committed. ... "What's that floating next to it?" Will asked. "Is that the bread you threw at it?" Marcus nodded unhappily. "That's not a sandwich, that's a bloody french loaf. No wonder it keeled over. That would've killed me.” - Nick Hornby
Reflection Questions:
Reading this passage from Nick Hornby's novel brings up several questions for self-reflection and discussion:
Reflect on the protagonist, Marcus, and his feelings of disappointment and disbelief over accidentally killing a duck. Have you ever experienced a similar sense of unexpected consequences from your actions?
Consider the themes of unintended consequences, guilt, and perception in this passage. How do these themes play out in your own life or in society as a whole?
How do societal expectations and potential misunderstandings impact our actions and perceptions of others? Have you ever felt misunderstood or judged unfairly for something you did or didn't do?
Discuss the idea of luck, coincidences, and perception of events in this passage. How much control do you believe we have over the outcomes of our actions, and how much is attributed to chance or external factors?
Reflect on the humor and irony present in this passage. How does humor help us navigate difficult or uncomfortable situations, and what role does it play in our understanding of complex events and emotions?
Similar quotes
“Kids must spend half their lives throwing things at the ducks in Regent's Park. How come he managed to pick a duck that pathetic?”
“And it's not like you never do anything wrong ever, is it?' said Marcus. 'I mean...' He had to be careful here. He knew he couldn't say too much or even anything at all about the hospital stuff. 'I mean how come I got to know Will in the first place?'Because you threw a bloody great baguette at a duck's head and killed it, basically,' said Will.”
“Nor had he, as far as he knew, ever believed in anything. It had been embarrassing, because he quite wanted to believe in something, since he recognized that belief was the lifebelt that got most people through the choppy waters of Life. He'd have liked to believe in a supreme God, although he'd have preferred a half-hour's chat with Him before committing himself, to clear up one or two points. He'd sat in all sorts of churches, waiting for that single flash of blue light, and it hadn't come. And then he'd tried to become an official Atheist and hadn't got the rock-hard, self-satisfied strength of belief even for that. And every single political party had seemed to him equally dishonest. And he'd give up on ecology...Then he'd tried believe in the Universe, which seemed sound enough until he'd innocently started reading books with words like Chaos and Time and Quantum in the titles. He'd found that even the people whose job of work was, so to speak, the Universe, didn't really believe in it and were actually quite proud of not knowing what or even if it could theoretically exist.”
“Give him a good ducking, anyhow.-But he'd crawl back.Duck him again; and keep ducking him.-Suppose he should take it into his head to duck you, though—yes, and drown you—what then?”
“But he'd never been in love. He knew that was what he was really asking himself. He'd never given himself to someone else completely. He'd always held something back, even if he hadn't known that he was doing it. He'd reserved the deepest part of him, the part that truly was him, because he'd feared that once he gave it away he would never get it back.”