--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: and they shook hands, hit each other on…" description: "\"and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/annie-proulx-6713_distance_and-they-shook-hands-hit-each-other-on-t_2193646.jpg" --- # and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then… ![“and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite directions. Within a mile Ennis felt like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time. He stopped at the side of the road and…” quote by Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/annie-proulx-6713_distance_and-they-shook-hands-hit-each-other-on-t_2193646.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/annie-proulx-6713_distance_and-they-shook-hands-hit-each-other-on-t_2193646.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/annie-proulx-6713_distance_and-they-shook-hands-hit-each-other-on-t_2193646.jpg) > “and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite directions. Within a mile Ennis felt like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time. He stopped at the side of the road and, in the whirling new snow, tried to puke but nothing came up. He felt about as bad as he ever had and it took a long time for the feeling to wear off.” [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes intense physical and emotional distress after a violent encounter, highlighting the lingering pain and disorientation. **In simple terms:** Intense pain and disorientation follow a violent encounter. Key Takeaway Seek support after traumatic experiences. Themes trauma pain disorientation Mood somber intense Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - road travel - post‑conflict recovery - emotional breakdown Key Concepts psychological distress physical injury Questions to Reflect On - What coping mechanisms help after trauma? - How does physical pain affect emotional healing? A Different Perspective Physical symptoms may mask deeper emotional wounds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Guts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guts/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) ## Related quotes > [The important thing is that he shook hands with us over the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/the-important-thing-is-that-he-shook-hands-with-us-over-the-phone/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [“This is Zach." I said as Daniel shook hands with him. "The youngest is Ryan. The obnoxious one is Brent." "I respect that assessment."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/this-is-zach-i-said-as-daniel-shook-hands-with-him-the-youngest-is/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [He hath shook hands with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/he-hath-shook-hands-with-time/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [“WATSON: When we shook hands, her handshake was far too firm. There’s nothing gentle, nothing remotely tender about her. She’s a cipher where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-ziegler/watson-when-we-shook-hands-her-handshake-was-far-too-firm-there-s/) Anna Ziegler > [We shook hands. For a moment our eyes met - which I found surprisingly destabilizing. Then we pulled back and there was a mement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-kieszling/we-shook-hands-for-a-moment-our-eyes-met-which-i-found-surprisingly/) [Stefan Kieszling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-kieszling/) > [He shook hands with Margaret. He knew it was the first time their hands had met, though she was perfectly unconscious of the fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-shook-hands-with-margaret-he-knew-it-was-the-first-time-their/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [The biggest part of why I am where I am today is not only because people can relate to me and my story but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logic/the-biggest-part-of-why-i-am-where-i-am-today-is-not-only-because/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logic/) > [I shook hands with a friendly Arab. I still have my right arm to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/i-shook-hands-with-a-friendly-arab-i-still-have-my-right-arm-to-prove/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [“Here is the hardest hit of all, O'Malley," Harry said. "Here is the very worst thing I can do to you." He held out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/here-is-the-hardest-hit-of-all-o-malley-harry-said-here-is-the-very/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [I was 13 when I first met Dawn Staley. We shook hands at a basketball camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-ja-wilson/i-was-13-when-i-first-met-dawn-staley-we-shook-hands-at-a-basketball/) [A'ja Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-ja-wilson/) > [“As we shook hands I wondered idly what her urine looked like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgrath/as-we-shook-hands-i-wondered-idly-what-her-urine-looked-like/) [Patrick McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgrath/) > [I once shook hands with Pat Boone and my whole right side sobered up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-once-shook-hands-with-pat-boone-and-my-whole-right-side-sobered-up/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [I knew as soon as we shook hands, it was friend at first sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-snyder/i-knew-as-soon-as-we-shook-hands-it-was-friend-at-first-sight/) Brittany\_Snyder > [I shook hands on a deal with a man just to find out that he was lying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-moore/i-shook-hands-on-a-deal-with-a-man-just-to-find-out-that-he-was-lying/) [Justin Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-moore/) > [I know you were surprised when, after the fall of Dacca, Pakistani and Indian officers shook hands. But do you realize that, up until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-know-you-were-surprised-when-after-the-fall-of-dacca-pakistani-and/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) ## More by Annie Proulx > [Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/writing-comes-from-reading-and-reading-is-the-finest-teacher-of-how/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“A kind of joyous hysteria moved into the room, everything flying before the wind, vehicles outside getting dented to hell, the crowd sweaty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/a-kind-of-joyous-hysteria-moved-into-the-room-everything-flying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“By January it had always been winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/by-january-it-had-always-been-winter/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“.. that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong ..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/that-old-cold-time-on-the-mountain-when-they-owned-the-world-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The mountain pine beetle is a tiny creature that chews through a lodgepole’s bark, gouges out a hollow in the wood and lays its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-mountain-pine-beetle-is-a-tiny-creature-that-chews-through-a/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“It was as if his eye were an ear and a crackle went through it each time he shot a look at the accordion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-was-as-if-his-eye-were-an-ear-and-a-crackle-went-through-it-each/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“On the stairs an image came to him. Was love then like a bag of assorted sweets passed around from which one might choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/on-the-stairs-an-image-came-to-him-was-love-then-like-a-bag-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The only cities were of ice, bergs with cores of beryl, blue gems within white gems, that some said gave off an odor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-only-cities-were-of-ice-bergs-with-cores-of-beryl-blue-gems/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“They say that doing ten sums a day prevents you from becoming senile. But by that argument bankers should be geniuses. That's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/they-say-that-doing-ten-sums-a-day-prevents-you-from-becoming-senile/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It's easier to die if others around you are dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-s-easier-to-die-if-others-around-you-are-dying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“You stand there, braced. Cloud shadows race over the buff rock stacks as a projected film, casting a queasy, mottled ground rash. The air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/you-stand-there-braced-cloud-shadows-race-over-the-buff-rock-stacks/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“Thirty-six years old and this was the first time anybody ever said he'd done it right. Fog against the window like milk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/thirty-six-years-old-and-this-was-the-first-time-anybody-ever-said-he/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“There was a month of fiery happiness. Then six kinked years of suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/there-was-a-month-of-fiery-happiness-then-six-kinked-years-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It is my feeling that a story is not finished until it is read, and that the reader finishes it through his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-is-my-feeling-that-a-story-is-not-finished-until-it-is-read-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“One of the tragedies of real life is that there is no background music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/one-of-the-tragedies-of-real-life-is-that-there-is-no-background-music/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) [Explore all 97 Annie Proulx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## More Distance quotes > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/) Toshihiko Seko > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/) [Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "and they shook hands, hit each other on the shoulder, then there was forty feet of distance between them and nothing to do but drive away in opposite directions. Within a mile Ennis felt like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time. He stopped at the side of the road and, in the whirling new snow, tried to puke but nothing came up. 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