“You know what I mean? Real and unreal, beautiful and strange, like a dream. It got me high as a kite, but it didn’t last long enough. It ended too soon and left nothing behind.”That’s how it is with dreams,” said Priscilla. “They’re the perfect crime.”
Analysis
In this quote from Tom Robbins' novel, a character named Priscilla reflects on the fleeting and elusive nature of dreams. The juxtaposition of "real and unreal, beautiful and strange" highlights the ethereal quality of dreams, which can evoke intense emotions and sensations but ultimately leave us longing for more. Priscilla's analogy of dreams being "the perfect crime" suggests that dreams have the ability to captivate us and stir our imaginations, only to disappear without a trace, leaving us with a sense of longing and intrigue. This quote captures the enigmatic and transient nature of dreams, inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of their own unconscious experiences.
The Illusion of Dreams
In the quote by Tom Robbins, the characters discuss dreams as being both exhilarating and fleeting, much like a drug-induced high. This concept of dreams representing a temporary escape from reality, only to leave us wanting more, has modern relevance in today's society where people often seek out distractions to cope with the pressures and monotony of everyday life. Whether it be through social media, entertainment, or other forms of escapism, the allure of temporary relief can sometimes overshadow the importance of facing one's reality and dealing with the consequences. Like a "perfect crime," dreams can offer a brief respite, but ultimately, they cannot shield us from the inevitable return to our waking lives.
Exploring the nature of dreams
“You know what I mean? Real and unreal, beautiful and strange, like a dream. It got me high as a kite, but it didn’t last long enough. It ended too soon and left nothing behind.”That’s how it is with dreams,” said Priscilla. “They’re the perfect crime.” - Tom Robbins
Reflection Questions:
Reflecting on the quote by Tom Robbins and Priscilla, consider the following questions:
- What do you think is the significance of dreams being described as both "real and unreal" and "beautiful and strange"?
- In what ways do you relate to the experience of dreams leaving you feeling "high as a kite" but also ending too soon and leaving nothing behind?
- How do you interpret the idea of dreams being referred to as "the perfect crime"?
- How do your own experiences with dreams resonate with the sentiments expressed in the quote?
Similar quotes
“It was wonderful, Pris.""What was, honey? The meeting? The champagne?""The eclipse," said Ricki. "It was probably the most real thing I've ever seen, but it was also like a dream. You know what I mean? Real and unreal, beautiful and strange, like a dream. It got me high as a kite, but it didn't last long enough. It ended too soon and left nothing behind.""That's how it is with dreams," said Priscilla. "They're the perfect crime.”
“I don’t know: perhaps it’s a dream, all a dream. (That would surprise me.) I’ll wake, in the silence, and never sleep again. (It will be I?) Or dream (dream again), dream of a silence, a dream silence, full of murmurs (I don’t know, that’s all words), never wake (all words, there’s nothing else).You must go on, that’s all I know.They’re going to stop, I know that well: I can feel it. They’re going to abandon me. It will be the silence, for a moment (a good few moments). Or it will be mine? The lasting one, that didn’t last, that still lasts? It will be I?You must go on.I can’t go on.You must go on.I’ll go on. You must say words, as long as there are any - until they find me, until they say me. (Strange pain, strange sin!) You must go on. Perhaps it’s done already. Perhaps they have said me already. Perhaps they have carried me to the threshold of my story, before the door that opens on my story. (That would surprise me, if it opens.)It will be I? It will be the silence, where I am? I don’t know, I’ll never know: in the silence you don’t know.You must go on.I can’t go on.I’ll go on.”
“I have always loved everything about you. Even what I didn’t understand. And I have always known that, at heart, I would have you no different. But most people don’t know how to love. Nothing is enough for them. They must have their dreams. It’s the only thing they do well. Dreaming. They dream up obligations. New ones every day. They long for undiscovered countries, fresh demands, another call. While some of us are left with the knowledge that love can never wait. A shared bed, a hand in yours, that’s the only thing that matters. The worst thing of all is fear. The fear of being alone.”
“The end of wisdom is to dream high enough to lose the dream in the seeking of it.”
“I know you think this world is too dark to even dream in color,but I’ve seen flowers bloom at midnight.I’ve seen kites fly in gray skiesand they were real close to looking like the sunrise,and sometime it takes the most wounded wingsthe most broken thingsto notice how strong the breeze is,how precious the flight.”