Seventeen Old Quote by Natalie Babbitt
““How old are you, anyway?” she asked, squinting at him. There was a pause. At last he said, “Why do you want to know?” “I just wondered,” said Winnie. “All right. I’m one hundred and four years old,” he told her solemnly. “No, I mean really,” she persisted. “Well then,” he said, “if you must know, I’m seventeen.” “Seventeen?” “That’s right.” “Oh,” said Winnie hopelessly. “Seventeen. That’s old.” “You have no idea,” he agreed with a nod. Winnie had the feeling he was laughing at her, but decided it was a nice kind of laughing. “Are you married?” she asked next. This time he laughed out loud. “No, I’m not married. Are you?” Now it was Winnie’s turn to laugh. “Of course not,” she said. “I’m only ten. But I’ll be eleven pretty soon.” “And then you’ll get married,” he suggested. Winnie laughed again, her head on one side, admiring him.””
About This Quote
A whimsical conversation reveals a character’s absurdly shifting age, highlighting playful deception and curiosity.
In simple terms: Characters joke about age, creating humor.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions and enjoy playful banter.
Themes
humor
deception
curiosity
Mood
playful
lighthearted
Type
narrative
literary
When to use this quote
- novel dialogue
- improvisational theater
Key Concepts
storytelling
character interaction
Questions to Reflect On
- Why does the age shift matter?
- How does humor affect character perception?
A Different Perspective
May confuse readers if not contextualized.
