Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
The town has a sense, not of history, but of time, and the telephone poles seem to know this. If you lay your hand against one, you can feel the vibration from the wires deep within the wood, as if souls had been imprisoned in there and were struggling to get out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the connection between the physical structures in a town and the passage of time, suggesting a deeper awareness of existence.
In this quote, Stephen King evokes a profound connection to the essence of time through the imagery of telephone poles. He suggests that these everyday objects are not just passive structures but are infused with a sense of history and emotion, embodying the stories and souls of those who might have existed in their presence. This perspective invites readers to consider how our surroundings are intertwined with the temporal experiences of humanity, revealing a haunting yet beautiful resonance of life within inanimate objects.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the significance of history in our lives, one might quote this to illustrate the unseen connections we share with our environments.
More from Stephen King
All quotes →Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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