---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The speaker was stringy and angular, his…"
description: "\"“The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his plaid workman's shirtsleeves rolled up around his pale biceps. Jour..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg"
---

#  The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled…

![“The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his plaid workman's shirtsleeves rolled up around his pale biceps. Journalism major, I guessed.” quote by Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg)

> ““The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his plaid workman's shirtsleeves rolled up around his pale biceps. Journalism major, I guessed.””

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A vivid, physical description of a speaker that hints at their personality and background, used to set tone and intrigue.

**In simple terms:** Describes a speaker’s look to create atmosphere.

Key Takeaway

Use sensory detail to engage readers.

Themes

characterization description tone visual imagery

Mood

curious analytical

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- character introduction
- journalism class
- storytelling workshops

Key Concepts

narrative voice personality cues social observation

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this description reveal about the speaker’s confidence?
- How might the audience’s perception change with different details?

A Different Perspective

May rely on stereotypes or superficial traits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Kill the guard real dead for me," Matt said when Grayson made a move toward the door, "and pick up Chinese food".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-mcfalls/kill-the-guard-real-dead-for-me-matt-said-when-grayson-made-a-move/)

Dorothy McFalls

> [“Tapping the fingers of her right hand on the wheel, she used her left to pull her ponytail around the curve of her neck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/tapping-the-fingers-of-her-right-hand-on-the-wheel-she-used-her-left/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“This boy at school taught me. But then he pulled my ponytail on the playground the next day, so I'm not really friends with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/this-boy-at-school-taught-me-but-then-he-pulled-my-ponytail-on-the/)

[Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/)

> [I've always liked long hair. My dad's always had long hair, but he always tells me, 'I never had it in a ponytail.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-seaman/i-ve-always-liked-long-hair-my-dad-s-always-had-long-hair-but-he/)

[David Seaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-seaman/)

> [“would be if you weren’t wearing your hair in a girly little ponytail,” I say, reaching for the ends of his white hair. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/would-be-if-you-weren-t-wearing-your-hair-in-a-girly-little-ponytail/)

[Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/)

> [I wash my hair once a week. You can do that. I swear. My sister-in-law and all of my friends were like, 'I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-giraud/i-wash-my-hair-once-a-week-you-can-do-that-i-swear-my-sister-in-law/)

[Joyce Giraud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-giraud/)

> [I love that whole princess mentality, but I also like throwing my hair in a ponytail and just wearing jeans, going on a hike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-love-hewitt/i-love-that-whole-princess-mentality-but-i-also-like-throwing-my-hair/)

[Jennifer Love Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-love-hewitt/)

> [I always play with a very high ponytail so that my hair doesn't bother me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garbine-muguruza/i-always-play-with-a-very-high-ponytail-so-that-my-hair-doesn-t/)

[Garbine Muguruza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garbine-muguruza/)

> [Don't ask me to cut my ponytail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-baggio/don-t-ask-me-to-cut-my-ponytail/)

[Roberto Baggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-baggio/)

> [“I wanted a ponytail for my 16th birthday, but daddy never bought me one. He thought that not only would I not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wanted-a-ponytail-for-my-16th-birthday-but-daddy-never-bought-me/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [It's so mental how I looked in the '90s. The fact that I thought my ponytail was a good thing - it was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/it-s-so-mental-how-i-looked-in-the-90s-the-fact-that-i-thought-my/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

> [I would always wear basketball jerseys and have my hair in a ponytail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachele-brooke-smith/i-would-always-wear-basketball-jerseys-and-have-my-hair-in-a-ponytail/)

[Rachele Brooke Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachele-brooke-smith/)

> [Chefs don't do ponytails and we shouldn't do them because I guarantee that whenever there's a discovery of hair in the food, it's guaranteed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/chefs-don-t-do-ponytails-and-we-shouldn-t-do-them-because-i-guarantee/)

[Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/)

> [“Candace nodded a little too hard. She loved making her ponytail swing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisi-harrison/candace-nodded-a-little-too-hard-she-loved-making-her-ponytail-swing/)

[Lisi Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisi-harrison/)

> [When I pull my hair back in a ponytail, that's how you know I'm having a hard day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-johnson/when-i-pull-my-hair-back-in-a-ponytail-that-s-how-you-know-i-m-having/)

[Belinda Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-johnson/)

## More by Jonathan Lethem

> [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [I've been an advocate against the view of the writer as a partitioned genius hanging in conceptual space, or up on a mountain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-ve-been-an-advocate-against-the-view-of-the-writer-as-a-partitioned/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“I suppose there was never a reason for tearing down a cabin or scrapping a stopped automobile, if you had all those acres.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-suppose-there-was-never-a-reason-for-tearing-down-a-cabin-or/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [Life is fundamentally up for grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/life-is-fundamentally-up-for-grabs/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [My heart, to put it more simply, got nostalgic for the present. Always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/my-heart-to-put-it-more-simply-got-nostalgic-for-the-present-always-a/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [It's impossible to overstate how my relationship to music forms a preserve for the esoteric or even spiritual aspect of my relationship to cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-s-impossible-to-overstate-how-my-relationship-to-music-forms-a/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“If. If Mingus Rude could be kept in this place, kept somehow in Dylan's pocket, in his stinging, smudgy hands, then summer wouldn't give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/if-if-mingus-rude-could-be-kept-in-this-place-kept-somehow-in-dylan-s/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [I had always wanted to be a writer who confused genre boundaries and who was read in multiple contexts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-had-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer-who-confused-genre-boundaries-and/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“Memory is a rehearsal for a show that never goes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/memory-is-a-rehearsal-for-a-show-that-never-goes-on/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“There is nothing Tourettic about the New York City subways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/there-is-nothing-tourettic-about-the-new-york-city-subways/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“Mingus Rude, Arthur Lomb, Gabriel Stern and Tim Vandertooth, even Aaron K. Doily: Dylan never met anyone who wasn't about to change immediately into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/mingus-rude-arthur-lomb-gabriel-stern-and-tim-vandertooth-even-aaron/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [I try to write every day. I don't beat myself up about word counts, or how many hours are ticking by on the clock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-try-to-write-every-day-i-don-t-beat-myself-up-about-word-counts-or/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“Enough of this. Does every conversation with you have to be the director's cut? Get out of the car.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/enough-of-this-does-every-conversation-with-you-have-to-be-the/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“The stumbling block will turn out to be the traditional one for students of consciousness: the flashlight is incapable of shining on itself, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-stumbling-block-will-turn-out-to-be-the-traditional-one-for/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [“May one plead, Your Honor, postmodernism as an involuntary condition?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/may-one-plead-your-honor-postmodernism-as-an-involuntary-condition/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

[Explore all 241 Jonathan Lethem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

## More Deadpanned-perfectly quotes

> [“Kill the guard real dead for me," Matt said when Grayson made a move toward the door, "and pick up Chinese food".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-mcfalls/kill-the-guard-real-dead-for-me-matt-said-when-grayson-made-a-move/)

Dorothy McFalls

Browse all 2 Deadpanned-perfectly quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his plaid workman's shirtsleeves rolled up around his pale biceps. Journalism major, I guessed.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Lethem"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his-blond-hair-pulled-back-in-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Deadpanned-perfectly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his-blond-hair-pulled-back-in-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/jonathan-lethem-1403_deadpanned-perfectly_the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his_1442002.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The speaker was stringy and angular, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his plaid workman's…” — Jonathan Lethem",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jonathan Lethem",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The speaker was stringy and angular,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his-blond-hair-pulled-back-in-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-speaker-was-stringy-and-angular-his-blond-hair-pulled-back-in-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
