"Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt." -122
This quote, though never actually said in the novel, stands for what Billy thought of certain experiences in his life. It refers directly to his friend Edgar Derby who was killed while doped up on morphine, but I think there's more to it than that. If Billy can block all of the painful events of the past out of his mind, then he has a sense of false happiness. In his mind, that false happiness is better than realizing how awful life really is and experiencing that pain. Escaping reality is what I think this book is all about so far. There are so many terrible things that happen in every day life, now and back then, that finding a way to shut out that pain seems like a pretty good option. Throughout the first half of the novel Billy hasn't exactly seemed happy at any point, but when he's numb to everything it's better than facing the issues such as the war, his marriage, or his insanity. I think this quote perfectly describes the way many people feel when they're blatantly ignorant to the problems that plague our lives. I think it catches up to them, just as it's going to catch up to Billy eventually.
No comments:
Post a Comment