Yes, There Are Things In The World That Make Me Happy
One of my favorite quotes can be found in Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake. This was the last book we read in English to close up my senior year and I very clearly remember reading this specific quote it in my Psych class, (because who pays attention to that shenanigans anyway) and getting choked up. My journey as a Stanner was coming to an end. I couldn’t help but reflect on all the triumphs and failures, laughter and tears, all the memories that I had created with people that became my family over four years at Molloy. I was growing up, I was leaving everything I knew and venturing into foreign territory. It was everything I was desperately trying to avoid thinking of as the numbers on the ‘last day of school’ countdown got smaller and smaller. All of this came to memory when I read the following line:
“Remember that you and I made this journey together to a place where there was nowhere left to go.”
It’s simple, nothing crazy, but enough to evoke an emotional response. I find that it means different things to different people. It’s meaning changes depending on the circumstance as well. I read this book again over the summer while I was on a service trip, on a bus ride upstate, on the beach and every time I came across it, it meant something different to me. The power of these words to take on new meaning each and every time I read them, is amazing.
2 responses so far
I’ve never read this book, but I love the quote. At some point, every journey must end because there is “nowhere left to go.” When we reach the end, we can’t continue on the same path, but we must start a new journey. Life is about completing different stages and then moving on, not about trying to stay in the same place forever.
I think it’s a great quote and I agree with your point that it can mean different things based on the situations you’re in. But leaving high school and going onto college is a big point in life and the quote applies perfectly and could really choke anyone up. In the high school situation, I can see it bringing up all the good times with friends and making you not want to leave. But moving on is a part of life and I guess now in college, the quote will mean something entirely different.