He is looking down on the two crystal balls that the old…
““He is looking down on the two crystal balls that the old man's foul, strong hands have rolled across to him. In one he sees Margaret, not in her raincoat and her nodding plumes, but as she is transfigured in the light of eternity. Long he looks there; then drops a glance to the other, just long enough to see that in its depths Kitty and I walk in bright dresses through our glowing gardens. We had suffered no transfiguration, for we are as we are, and there is nothing more to us. The whole truth about us lies in our material seeming. He sighs a deep sigh of delight and puts out his hand to the ball where Margaret shines. His sleeve catches the other one and sends it down to crash in a thousand pieces on the floor. The old man's smile continues to be lewd and benevolent; he is still not more interested in me than in the bare-armed woman. Chris is wholly inclosed in his intentness on his chosen crystal. No one weeps for this shattering of our world.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A man contemplates two possible futures for his loved ones, seeing one idealized and the other ordinary, then destroys the ordinary vision, preferring the romanticized ideal.
In simple terms: He looks at two futures, loves the romantic one, and shatters the ordinary.
Key Takeaway
Choose to accept reality over fantasy.
Themes
love
choice
illusion
destiny
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- marriage decisions
- grief processing
- artistic inspiration
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
romanticism
existentialism
perception
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the shattered ball symbolize?
- How does idealization affect our choices?
A Different Perspective
The idealized vision may blind one to genuine possibilities.