"Standing there trembling in the water and not from the cold for there was none." -pg 141
Late Wednesday night, I had to stop. This small, jumble of words had such an impact on me, it made me stop reading. Why did this quote resonate so much within me? What did it teach me?
A physical response is not always due to a physical event, I have learned. Some might laugh because something funny happened, or cry because something hurt them, or tremble because they're cold.
However,
I respond because I feel.
I laugh because I feel courageous or confident or energetic.
I cry because I feel enraged or devastated or empty.
I tremble because I feel overwhelmed or terrified or loved. Or even all three.
As John Grady Cole looked at Alejandra, she trembled. She trembled because she was overwhelmed and terrified and loved. She didn't respond because she was cold; she responded because she felt. And sometimes those feelings have more of an impact than any physical event could ever have. React to them. Respond.
"Me quieres? she said. Yes, he said. He said her name. God yes, he said." -pg 141
Beautifully said (on both accounts, yours and McCarthy's). I liked that part too.
ReplyDeleteYou've responded so beautifully that your words resonate with tremendous insight and emotion that shows you truly understand how beautiful the bond is between soul and body. In a way, it leads to a form of communication amongst humans that has no need for words to let people into their hearts. Just by seeing the tears, the frustration, the joy, the fear resonating from another is enough to tell others what their heart is reflecting. And that is one of the greatest things that makes us all sympathetic to each other.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful comment, Jeremiah. It's so important for writers to demonstrate a powerful link between the physical, concrete world and the spiritual and emotional world.
DeleteWow, I really enjoyed reading this. I did not read this book, but the concept of a physical reaction not always being due to a physical event is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Carly. I think this what part of this class has to do with: taking pieces apart and deciding whether they are reacting to something deeper than just the weather or someone's touch. Bravo! (You are already passing the test.)
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