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Let’s get it over and the door closed shut on it! Let’s…

“Let’s get it over and the door closed shut on it! Let’s close it like a book and go on reading! New chapter, new life. A man will have clean hands once we get the lid slammed shut on that stinking century. It’s a fair thing ahead. There’s no rot on this clean new hundred years. It’s not stacked…” quote by John Steinbeck
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““Let’s get it over and the door closed shut on it! Let’s close it like a book and go on reading! New chapter, new life. A man will have clean hands once we get the lid slammed shut on that stinking century. It’s a fair thing ahead. There’s no rot on this clean new hundred years. It’s not stacked, and any bastard who deals seconds from this new deck of years— why, we’ll crucify him head down over a privy. Oh, but strawberries will never taste so good again and the thighs of women have lost their clutch!””

John Steinbeck

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A radical break from the past promises renewal, but the rhetoric is chaotic and contradictory, hinting at both hope and disillusionment.

In simple terms: Closing chapters invites new beginnings.

Key Takeaway

Endings can be cleansing.

Themes

renewal history optimism cynicism metaphor

Mood

hopeful skeptical

Type

prose rhetorical

When to use this quote

  • post‑war reflection
  • personal transformation
  • political upheaval

Key Concepts

periodic change societal critique

Practical Applications

  • motivational speeches
  • literary analysis

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does ‘closing the door’ symbolize for you?
  • Do you see the new chapter as hopeful or threatening?
A Different Perspective

The passage mixes grandiose optimism with obscure, possibly satirical, imagery that may obscure its intended message.

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