Rear window Quote by Jodi Picoult
““Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a final sweep of the catwalk, Peter reached down and tugged off his right sock. He turned on his side in the lower bunk, so that he was facing the wall. He fed the sock into his mouth, stuffing it as far back as it would go. When it got hard to breathe, he fell into a dream. He was still eighteen, but it was the first day of kindergarten. He was carrying his backpack and his Superman lunch box. The orange school bus pulled up and, with a sigh, split open its gaping jaws. Peter climbed the steps and faced the back of the bus, but this time, he was the only student on it. He walked down the aisle to the very end, near the emergency exit. He put his lunch box down beside him and glanced out the rear window. It was so bright he thought the sun itself must be chasing them down the highway. 'Almost there,' a voice said, and Peter turned around to look at the driver. But just as there had been no passengers, there was no one at the wheel. Here was the amazing thing: in his dream, Peter wasn't scared. He knew, somehow, that he was headed exactly where he'd wanted to go.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, 2013
In a desperate moment, a dying man creates a comforting dream of childhood safety, showing hope can arise even in extreme suffering.
In simple terms: A dying man imagines a safe childhood dream.
Find hope in imagined safety.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- prison confinement
- terminal illness
- nightmare coping
- mental escape
- inner peace
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What inner resources can you summon in crisis?
- How does imagination alter perception of suffering?
The dream may be fleeting and not resolve real pain.