Normal, in our house, is like a blanket too short for a bed--sometimes it covers you just fine, and other times it leaves you cold and shaking; and worst of all, you never know which of the two it's going to be.
Jodi PicoultRead
And in general, the residents of the town wondered why they all felt hollow just beneath the throat, the result of missing something they had never been able to name in the first place.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the existential feeling of incompleteness and the search for fulfillment.
In this quote, Jodi Picoult captures a profound sense of emptiness that the residents of the town experience, symbolized by the hollow feeling beneath their throats. This sensation represents a universal human experience of longing for something intangible that contributes to a sense of fulfillment and purpose, highlighting the psychological complexities of modern life where individuals may struggle to identify their deeper needs and desires.
Themes
EmptinessLongingPurposeFulfillmentExistential
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the meaning of life, this quote can be used to illustrate the inner struggles people face.
More from Jodi Picoult
All quotes →Whether it was power they sought, or revenge, or love-well, those were all just different forms of hunger. The bigger the hole inside you, the more desperate you became to fill it.
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she told me she'd be a phoenix." The image of the mythical creature rising from the ashes glitters in my mind. "They don't really exist." "She said that depends on whether or not there's someone who can see them.
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for 100,000 (dollars), you [can] flatten a house with a wrecking ball. Imagine how much less it [takes] to destroy something than it [does] to build it in the first place.
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But if you seek forgiveness, doesn't that automatically mean you cannot be a monster? By definition, doesn't that desperation make you human again?
Jodi PicoultRead
when you [lose someone], it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all nerves are still a little raw
Jodi PicoultRead
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