A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.
Neil GaimanRead
How big are souls anyway?" asked Coraline. The other mother sat down at the kitchen table and leaned against the back wall, saying nothing. She picked at her teeth with a long crimson-varnished fingernail, then she tapped the finger, gently, tap-tap-tap against the polished black surface of her black button eyes.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of souls and existence through a poignant exchange between characters.
In this excerpt from Neil Gaiman's work, there is an exploration of identity and the essence of one's being, represented through the metaphor of souls. The dialogue between Coraline and the other mother hints at deeper questions about humanity, the significance of the soul, and what it truly means to be alive or to possess a self, emphasizing a sense of inquiry into the metaphysical aspects of existence.
Themes
SoulsExistenceIdentityPhilosophyMetaphysics
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate on the nature of consciousness and identity.
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As a teenager I wrote to R.A. Lafferty. And he responded, too, with letters that were like R.A. Lafferty short stories, filled with elliptical answers to straight questions and simple answers to complicated ones.
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The important thing to understand about American history, wrote Mr. Ibis, in his leather-bound journal, is that it is fictional, a charcoal-sketched simplicity for the children, or the easily bored.
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Nothing’s changed. You’ll go home. You’ll be bored. You’ll be ignored. No one will listen to you, really listen to you. You’re too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don’t even get your name right.
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I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.
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