--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It [the trip] captured five very long…" description: "\"“It [the trip] captured five very long hours. If you want to know why, it is because Grandfather is Grandfather first and a driver second. He made us l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg" --- # It \[the trip\] captured five very long hours. If you want… ![“It [the trip] captured five very long hours. If you want to know why, it is because Grandfather is Grandfather first and a driver second. He made us lost often and became on his nerves. I had to translate his anger into useful information for the hero. "Fuck," Grandfather said. I said, "He says…” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg) > ““It \[the trip\] captured five very long hours. If you want to know why, it is because Grandfather is Grandfather first and a driver second. He made us lost often and became on his nerves. I had to translate his anger into useful information for the hero. "Fuck," Grandfather said. I said, "He says that if you look at the statues, you can see that some no longer endure. Those are where Communist statues used to be." "Fucking fuck, fuck!" Grandfather shouted. "Oh," I said, "he wants you to know that that building, that building, and that building are all important." "Why?" the hero inquired. "Fuck!" Grandfather said. "He cannot remember," I said.”” [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage shows a chaotic, fragmented conversation where a grandfather’s erratic behavior forces the narrator to interpret and convey meaning amid confusion. **In simple terms:** Grandfather’s confusion creates a puzzle for the narrator to solve. Key Takeaway Listen closely and translate chaos into clarity. Themes family communication memory politics conflict Mood confused reflective tense Type literary dialogue reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - historical tours - political protests - personal grief Key Concepts postmodern narrative symbolism interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How do you make sense of fragmented stories? - What role does memory play in interpreting chaos? A Different Perspective The disjointed dialogue may obscure the underlying message for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Long hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-hours/) [Useful information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful-information/) ## Related quotes > [“One evening the stranger told Old Gao that the frames they were making had been invented by an American, only seventy years before. 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"That means you had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-moon/you-have-done-well-grandfather-said-we-thank-you-we-were-afraid/) [Sheila Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-moon/) ## More by Jonathan Safran Foer > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I try not to remember the life that I didn’t want to lose but lost and have to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-try-not-to-remember-the-life-that-i-didn-t-want-to-lose-but-lost/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. 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"Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. 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Those are where Communist statues used to be.\" \"Fucking fuck, fuck!\" Grandfather shouted. \"Oh,\" I said, \"he wants you to know that that building, that building, and that building are all important.\" \"Why?\" the hero inquired. \"Fuck!\" Grandfather said. \"He cannot remember,\" I said.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Safran Foer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hours-if-you-want-to-know-why-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grandfather" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hours-if-you-want-to-know-why-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/jonathan-safran-foer-136_grandfather_it-the-trip-captured-five-very-long-hour_2367143.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It [the trip] captured five very long hours. 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