Not so Gilead, the first book in Robinsons Pulitzer Prize-winning trilogy about two families in Iowa. But over the old man's head they looked at each other and smiled. The strains of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below. Im a man of my, 6. Its final scene, the culmination of a relentless series of hardships, losses and deaths, offers a moment of startling compassion and intimacy the very milk of human kindness made flesh. Hemingways vaguely autobiographical story about a group of dissipated friends in Europe after World War I has aged well. If you do, you start missing everybody. He wanted money and power and influence, and he had those things. ", "Of course, it's only superstition, just for fun. A sudden breeze over the Tigris forms a tiny whirlwind. Of course, Eugenides is also echoing the end of James Joyces Ulysses, whose last extraordinary sentence is about 4,000 words long and ends with Molly Blooms boundless enthusiasm: yes I said yes I will Yes., Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (1949). Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt. 'Come in, Mrs. Brown,' she says. I was eager to embrace the world. A beautiful, or at least effective, final sentence anchors a story in a reader's mind long after the book is finished. I play video games. He and Rick suddenly have things of substance in common. After a near-catastrophic experience that nearly erases his own existence, Marty McFly (Michael J. "As you from crimes would pardoned be,Let your indulgence set me free. The Concord Public Library in Massachusetts banned it soon after it was published. A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore (2009), Novels and short stories make different demands on their forms and their readers. The 1933 version of King Kong is an all-time classic thanks in no small part to its dramatic ending. "From Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Such is the effect of the last line of Eugenidess most recent novel, which seems in retrospect constructed to bring us directly to these three letters. From old-school classics like Casablanca to modern masterpieces like Inglorious Basterds, these are the most remarkable final movie lines of all time. Salinger (1951). The movie's suggestion that power and corruption are inextricably connected certainly gave it resonance for audiences of that era. ", The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "My personal rollercoaster. A stormy wind rattled the scrap-iron in the ruins, whistling and howling through the charred cavities of the windows. It's an action-filled finale that leads to Neo's poignant last words. ", "Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. "From My Antonia by Willa Cather. Those that didn't: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," ""The Glass Menagerie," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "The Crucible.". "Then starting home, he walked toward the trees, and under them, leaving behind him the big sky, the whisper of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat. The scene takes place before the Battle of Agincourt in Northern France, specifically on October 25th, 1415 (a day known as Saint Crispin's Day). Finding it so much like myselfso like a brother, reallyI felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. ", "The men began singing, a grave, slow song that drifted away into the night. By Benjamin Voigt. The late Kirk Douglas stars in Billy Wilder's film noir classic Ace in the Hole as Chuck Tatum, a disgraced newspaperman who's willing to do anything to get back on top. It touches on the passing of youth and of more innocent times in life, but it also offers hope by pointing out that sharing toys helps keep the magic of play alive. "In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment. Best pessimistic diagnosis of a resigned and wistful generation: Yes, I said. She knew firsthand the deleterious effects of that lack of demand. Now, of course, his story about a handsome gangster is considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Most superhero stories end triumphantly with the good guy taking down the villain and receiving public adoration as a result. Brilliant. Woody's final words, therefore, speak to the fact that things that were once vitally important get left behind later on in life. Here are a few examples. Four decades later, I can still feel the shock of reaching the end of Steinbecks novel about an Oklahoma family traveling to California in search of work. Here are 21 of our favorite last lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. The now-college-aged Andy gives all his old toysincluding Buzz Lightyear and beloved cowboy doll Woodyto a little girl. His name, along with Shakespeare 's, is nearly synonymous with English verse. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is perhaps the best Batman story ever committed to film. Here's looking at you, kid. They were uncommonly proud. 19. Even more cheer-inducing is what happens in the finale; Lt. Raine (Brad Pitt) carves a swastika into the forehead of the movie's chief villain, SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), and declares "I think this just might be my masterpiece.". Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Best wonderfully mangled last line from a wonderfully mangled novel: Prettiest description of oblivion and both the interconnectedness and meaninglessness of worldly phenomena that also sounds something like a dehumanized version of the last line of The Great Gatsby: The wake itself remains, etched out across the waters surface; then it fades as well, although no one is there to see it go. "From A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. ", "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it. Gillian Anderson quiz: A Streetcar Named Desire or The X Files? The Usual Suspects ends with a callback in which Verbal provides a very telling quote: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. For the first time they had done something out of Love. 1. The Road won a Pulitzer Prize and even spurred the normally shy author to agree to speak with Oprah for his first-ever television interview. ", "But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing. Hooper plays along with the joke, and the audience gets a laugh that breaks the tension before the credits roll. Orwells classic dystopian novel about a totalitarian state has never gone out of print, but it got a huge boost two years ago from the election of Donald Trump. Americans have consistently called Mitchells Pulitzer Prize-winning novel one of their very favorites. Tarantino is known for several stellar films, and its status as a masterpiece isn't often contested. He wants Mills (Brad Pitt) to kill him so that he can finish his series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. We'll take any optimism we can get from curmudgeonly Franzen, regardless of whether or not it's meant in earnest (and in this case, it seems to be). You can see in this novels last words how successfully Moore switches registers. The only thought in cutting it was of the essentials of the grave, and there was no other care than to make this stone long enough and narrow enough to cover a man. "He loved Big Brother. Of course, former slaves and historians had described the horrors of slavery before, but nearly 125 years after Emancipation, Morrison made the psychological legacy of the Souths peculiar institution palpable as no other book ever had. 2. His comment is a sick joke, which is perfectly in keeping with Fight Club's entire aesthetic. What Jack tells Marla at the end of the film underscores the primary idea behind the story which is that he has lost himself and can't quite find his way back. His story about a reformed miser was an immediate bestseller, and, a few years later, he began offering public readings that attracted enormous crowds in England and America. The final moments find the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) in a tough spot. "'Excellently observed,' answered Candide; 'but we must cultivate our garden. His final advice, not to tell anybody anything, could have run anywhere in the novel, but it sounds especially poignant at the end of his journey. Then, Doc arrives in the DeLorean, informing him that there's a personal crisis in his future. John Keats 101. TV, Film & Music. ", "He didn't think about it, he went straight to a seat facing forwards, so that he could see where he was going. The 2008 Marvel movie Iron Man tells Tony Stark's origin story, showing how the billionaire playboy industrialist develops his trademark suit of armor and starts fighting crime. His mix of treacly self-pity, witty cynicism and clinical depression speaks for millions of lonely people forced to endure a world of phonies. The point, driven home so forcefully in those five words, is that corruption is so deeply ingrained in the situation Jake is investigating that he's wasting his time trying to expose or change it. Some of those great final lines remain markers of our favorite novels, holy relics of our most cherished reading experiences. As Woody watches him fade into the distance, he utters the bittersweet words, "so long, partner.". The Catcher in the Rye, Some Like It Hot came out in 1959, a time when subjects such as sexual/gender identity and cross-dressing were still very much taboo onscreen. Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) by. Its possible to measure the weight of a novel by the size of its impact crater. Brody is, of course, being ironic. For films, we offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad . can use to call home. By stating this hard-earned insight, and . Go on my son! Its a deeply contemplative story about a man whose inept parents were imprisoned for bank robbery, leaving him and his twin sister to fend for themselves when they were 15. The first readers were shocked by Weve already given you a rundown of our favorite opening lines in literature, but since every beginning needs an ending (and youd be surprised at how many works with awesome first lines also have awesome last lines or perhaps you wouldnt be surprised), we feel compelled to treat you to a list of our favorite last lines as well. But even more arresting is the books moral struggle to understand and forgive his parents failings and his own. They spark interest by stating a hard truth that seemingly comes from deep within the narrator's (or writer's) soul. "From Continental Drift by Russell Banks. Old feelings are rekindled, though, and there's a part of Rick that just wants to keep Ilsa around for himself. Perhaps they will be answered in a sequel that Atwood plans to publish in September called The Testaments., Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison (1952). Even the novels greatest fans have complained about those tedious final chapters, in which Tom and Huck plot to free Jim from the Phelpses farm. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O'Neill [1956]. ", "But the naming game involves only male names, because if it's a girl, Laila has already named her. Orwells protagonist, Winston Smith, works as a reviser of historical records in the Ministry of Truth before becoming a member of a doomed resistance movement. ", "How wonderful the flavor, the aroma of her kitchen, her stories as she prepared the meal, her Christmas Rolls! The Broom of the System, David Foster Wallace. ", RELATED: 13 Best Shark Movies To Watch This Summer (That Aren't Jaws). The Catcher in the Rye , J.D. And Carlson said, 'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys? by John Steinbeck (1939). 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