American flag Quote by Philip Roth
““But from within the carton, Morty's American flag - which I know is folded there, at the very bottom, in the official way - tells me, "It's against some Jewish law," and so, on into the car he went with the carton, and then he drove it down to the beach, to the boardwalk, which was no longer there. The boardwalk was gone. Good-bye, boardwalk. The ocean had finally carried it away. The Atlantic is a powerful ocean. Death is a terrible thing. That's a doctor I never heard of. Remarkable. Yes, that's the word for it. It was all remarkable. Good-bye, remarkable. Egypt and Greece good-bye, and good-bye, Rome!””
About This Quote
Source Novel: American Pastoral by Philip Roth, 1997
The passage reflects on loss, impermanence, and the absurdity of trying to find meaning in chaotic events, using vivid imagery of a vanished boardwalk and historic civilizations.
In simple terms: Loss and absurdity of history.
Key Takeaway
Embrace change, let go of attachments.
Themes
impermanence
absurdity
history
loss
reflection
Mood
melancholic
reflective
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
narrative
When to use this quote
- personal grief
- urban change
- historical perspective
- travel
- contemplation
Key Concepts
existentialism
nihilism
cultural decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the disappearing boardwalk symbolize for you?
- How do you find meaning amid inevitable loss?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook personal agency in shaping outcomes.
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
