He was reading a cheap-looking booklet. Since he was…
““He was reading a cheap-looking booklet. Since he was literate, I thought he might be one of the people I was being hired to divert with knowledge. I was right. His name was Abdullah Akbahr. With my encouragement, he would write several interesting short stories. One, I remember, was supposedly the autobiography of a talking deer in the National Forest who has a terrible time finding anything to eat in winter and gets tangled in barbed wire during the summer months, trying to get at the delicious food on farms. He is shot by a hunter. As he dies he wonders why he was born in the first place. The final sentence of the story was the last thing the deer said on Earth. The hunter was close enough to hear it and was amazed. This was it: “What the blankety-blank was that supposed to be all about?””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A writer discovers a hidden talent, creating surreal tales that explore existence and meaning.
In simple terms: A writer helps a deer find purpose before death.
Key Takeaway
Encourage creative expression in others.
Themes
creativity
mentorship
existence
Mood
thoughtful
melancholic
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- literary mentorship
- story development
- teaching writing
Key Concepts
storytelling
surrealism
identity
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives you to mentor others?
- How does absurdity reveal truth?
A Different Perspective
The absurdity may alienate some readers.