--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The blackness he woke to on those nights…" description: "\"“The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable. A blackness to hurt your ears with listening. Often he had to get up. No soun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/cormac-mccarthy-181_communication_the-blackness-he-woke-to-on-those-nights_1770818.jpg" --- # The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and… ![“The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable. A blackness to hurt your ears with listening. Often he had to get up. No sound but the wind in the bare and blackened trees. He rose and stood tottering in that cold autistic dark with his arms outheld for balance while the…” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/cormac-mccarthy-181_communication_the-blackness-he-woke-to-on-those-nights_1770818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/cormac-mccarthy-181_communication_the-blackness-he-woke-to-on-those-nights_1770818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/cormac-mccarthy-181_communication_the-blackness-he-woke-to-on-those-nights_1770818.jpg) > ““The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable. A blackness to hurt your ears with listening. Often he had to get up. No sound but the wind in the bare and blackened trees. He rose and stood tottering in that cold autistic dark with his arms outheld for balance while the vestibular calculations in his skull cranked out their reckonings. An old chronicle. To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his return. Eyes closed, arms oaring. Upright to what? Something nameless in the night, lode or matrix. To which he and the stars were common satellite. Like the great pendulum in its rotunda scribing through the long day movements of the universe of which you may say it knows nothing and yet know it must.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A protagonist navigates an incomprehensible, oppressive darkness, using physical and mental balance to move forward despite existential uncertainty. **In simple terms:** He walks through a terrifying, endless night, trying to stay upright and find purpose. Key Takeaway Maintain balance and purpose amid overwhelming darkness. Themes existential survival orientation perseverance Mood foreboding introspective somber Type literary philosophical poetic When to use this quote - nighttime travel - psychological endurance - exploration of unknown - spiritual searching Key Concepts nihilism human cognition cosmic insignificance Questions to Reflect On - What does “upright” symbolize in your life? - How do you find direction when surroundings feel void? A Different Perspective The vivid darkness may be metaphorical, limiting concrete interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blackness Woke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackness-woke-769140/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Long day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-day/) [Nights Sightless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights-sightless-769141/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Seek Upright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-upright-412864/) [Steps Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps-nothingness-412866/) ## Related quotes > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable. A blackness to hurt your ears with listening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-blackness-he-woke-to-on-those-nights-was-sightless-and-2/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable. A blackness to hurt your ears with listening. 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Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. 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