Cause and effect Quote by Jess Kidd
““For the dead don't change or grow. They're just echoes of the stories of their own lives sung back in the wrong order: arsewards. They're the pattern on closed eyelids after you turn away from a bright object. They are twice-exposed film. They're not really there, so cause and effect means nothing to them.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: Unknown anthology, 2019
The passage describes death as a disordered echo of life, likening it to reversed, distorted film and meaningless cause-effect, emphasizing the surreal and fragmented nature of memory after death.
In simple terms: Death is portrayed as chaotic, reversed memories, like a broken film.
Accept that death may be incomprehensible and unsettling.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- artistic expression
- philosophical debate
- creative writing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this view suggest about how we value life?
- Can chaos be a source of meaning?
It may dismiss the emotional significance many find in afterlife beliefs.