--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a good novel would be where a…" description: "\"I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/jack-handey-829_aids_i-think-a-good-novel-would-be-where-a-bu_1290169.jpg" --- # I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a… ![“I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then, at the very end, there's a page you can…” quote by Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/jack-handey-829_aids_i-think-a-good-novel-would-be-where-a-bu_1290169.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/jack-handey-829_aids_i-think-a-good-novel-would-be-where-a-bu_1290169.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/jack-handey-829_aids_i-think-a-good-novel-would-be-where-a-bu_1290169.jpg) > “I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then, at the very end, there's a page you can lick and it tastes like Kool-Aid.” [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story can leave its central mystery unresolved, inviting readers to create their own meaning. **In simple terms:** Open-ended stories let readers fill gaps. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity and personal interpretation. Themes creativity interpretation storytelling Mood curious playful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literary analysis - creative writing workshops - book clubs - teaching literature - personal reflection Key Concepts postmodernism reader agency narrative ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - What mystery would you leave unresolved? - How does ambiguity affect your engagement? A Different Perspective Some may find lack of resolution unsatisfying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bunch/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Good Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-novel-810588/) [Kool aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kool-aid/) [Looking Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-whale-359380/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-bunch-3519717/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-decide-1954305/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whales/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [If you are looking for a whale you cannot search for a whale in a pond. You must go to deep waters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-iyengar/if-you-are-looking-for-a-whale-you-cannot-search-for-a-whale-in-a/) [Prashant Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-iyengar/) > [I once owned a collection of 77 novels that won the Pulitzer. The only good novel of the bunch was The Grapes of Wrath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-once-owned-a-collection-of-77-novels-that-won-the-pulitzer-the-only/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“I tell writers not to think about writing short stories or novels. Just write one good scene. And then a novel becomes a bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/i-tell-writers-not-to-think-about-writing-short-stories-or-novels/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [I'd like the reader to decide if he is willing to pay minute sums for content. I'd like the economics of web to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cailliau/i-d-like-the-reader-to-decide-if-he-is-willing-to-pay-minute-sums-for/) [Robert Cailliau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cailliau/) > [“All we can do is write, but its up to the reader to decide if we wrote masterpieces or empty silliness, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-nnenna/all-we-can-do-is-write-but-its-up-to-the-reader-to-decide-if-we-wrote/) [Uma Nnenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-nnenna/) > [The ideal, it seems to me, is to show things happening and allow the reader to decide what they mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/the-ideal-it-seems-to-me-is-to-show-things-happening-and-allow-the/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [But in all things whether we shall make only a due use of the liberties we have asked, is left entirely to the judicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fielding/but-in-all-things-whether-we-shall-make-only-a-due-use-of-the/) [Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fielding/) > [Sometimes the reader will decide something else than the author's intent; this is certainly true of attempts to empirically decipher reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/sometimes-the-reader-will-decide-something-else-than-the-author-s/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [A good novel is an indivisible sum; every scene, sequence and passage of a good novel has to involve, contribute to and advance all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-good-novel-is-an-indivisible-sum-every-scene-sequence-and-passage/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [It's got a lot more room for nuance and an assumption that people have started from the beginning. 'Bloodline' ends up being like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/it-s-got-a-lot-more-room-for-nuance-and-an-assumption-that-people/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [A good novel doesn't just transcend the boundaries of its target market - it knows nothing about target markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/a-good-novel-doesn-t-just-transcend-the-boundaries-of-its-target/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [Good novel is a conjunction of many factors, the main of which is, without a doubt, hard work. There are many things behind a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/good-novel-is-a-conjunction-of-many-factors-the-main-of-which-is/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I have never read a really good novel written by a man where women are portrayed as they truly are. They can be portrayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-have-never-read-a-really-good-novel-written-by-a-man-where-women/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A good novel is a conjunction of many factors, the main of which is without a doubt, hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/a-good-novel-is-a-conjunction-of-many-factors-the-main-of-which-is/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [A good novel is an out-of-self experience. It lifts you off the ground so that you have the sensation of flying. It says, 'Look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/a-good-novel-is-an-out-of-self-experience-it-lifts-you-off-the-ground/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) ## More by Jack Handey > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. 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It's gotten to the point that rules dominate just about every aspect of our lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/why-do-there-have-to-be-rules-for-everything-it-s-gotten-to-the-point/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/most-people-don-t-realize-that-large-pieces-of-coral-which-have-been/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Here's a suggestion for a new animal, if some new ones get created or evolve: something that stings you, then laughs at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/here-s-a-suggestion-for-a-new-animal-if-some-new-ones-get-created-or/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When you go ice-skating, try not to swing your arms too much, because that really annoys me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-you-go-ice-skating-try-not-to-swing-your-arms-too-much-because/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When you go to a party at somebody's house, don't automatically assume that the drinks are free. Ask, and ask often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-you-go-to-a-party-at-somebody-s-house-don-t-automatically-assume/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [He was a cowboy, mister, and he loved the land. He loved it so much he made a woman out of dirt and married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/he-was-a-cowboy-mister-and-he-loved-the-land-he-loved-it-so-much-he/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/if-you-were-a-gladiator-in-olden-days-i-bet-the-inefficiency-of-how/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) [Explore all 358 Jack Handey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More Aids quotes > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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