--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But then he would come home...and he…" description: "\"“But then he would come home...and he would feel a strange sensation, like his feet growing heavy. It was as if he was sinking back into the root syste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/sarah-addison-allen-810_mind_but-then-he-would-come-home-and-he-would_573518.jpg" --- # But then he would come home...and he would feel a strange… ![“But then he would come home...and he would feel a strange sensation, like his feet growing heavy. It was as if he was sinking back into the root system of this place. And he didn't want to be that Colin anymore, the one planted here, the one pruned to exactly the size and shape everyone expected…” quote by Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/sarah-addison-allen-810_mind_but-then-he-would-come-home-and-he-would_573518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/sarah-addison-allen-810_mind_but-then-he-would-come-home-and-he-would_573518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/sarah-addison-allen-810_mind_but-then-he-would-come-home-and-he-would_573518.jpg) > ““But then he would come home...and he would feel a strange sensation, like his feet growing heavy. It was as if he was sinking back into the root system of this place. And he didn't want to be that Colin anymore, the one planted here, the one pruned to exactly the size and shape everyone expected him to be.”” [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels trapped by expectations, yearning to shed an imposed identity and reconnect with authentic self. **In simple terms:** Feeling trapped by others' expectations. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic self, reject imposed roles. Themes identity expectations self‑discovery Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type literary introspective emotional When to use this quote - family pressure - career expectations - social norms - personal relationships Key Concepts personal growth conformity root metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are you still rooted in? - How can you gently reshape those expectations? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize stagnation, overlooking practical constraints of change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feel Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-strange/) [Growing Heavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-heavy-4728215/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Planted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planted/) [Pruned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pruned-1448186/) [Strange Sensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-sensation-1051322/) ## Related quotes > [Time is an amazing enigma in which seeds that were planted can turn into a vibrant garden if properly pruned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/time-is-an-amazing-enigma-in-which-seeds-that-were-planted-can-turn/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/in-the-souls-of-the-people-the-grapes-of-wrath-are-filling-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Kate could feel a strange heat along the back of her neck, something she hadn't felt in a while. It was almost exotic, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/kate-could-feel-a-strange-heat-along-the-back-of-her-neck-something/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [A person cannot love a plant after he has pruned it, then he has either done a poor job or is devoid of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/a-person-cannot-love-a-plant-after-he-has-pruned-it-then-he-has/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) > [I wanted to design a chair which looked like a shrub pruned to look like a chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schultz/i-wanted-to-design-a-chair-which-looked-like-a-shrub-pruned-to-look/) [Richard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schultz/) > [“A child is like an unruly tree—in order to grow up straight, he must be pruned. ‘Raise up a child in the way he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-torode/a-child-is-like-an-unruly-tree-in-order-to-grow-up-straight-he-must/) [Sam Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-torode/) > [Just as some plants bear fruit only if they don't shoot up too high, so in practical arts the leaves and flowers of theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/just-as-some-plants-bear-fruit-only-if-they-don-t-shoot-up-too-high/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Ineffective or weak brain connections are pruned in much the same way a gardener would prune a tree or bush, giving the plant a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/ineffective-or-weak-brain-connections-are-pruned-in-much-the-same-way/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [“Bryn’s back was to me, auburn hair pulled up in the usual sloppy-romantic twist. Soft murmurs came from her as she gently pruned dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-gay/bryn-s-back-was-to-me-auburn-hair-pulled-up-in-the-usual-sloppy/) [Kelly Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-gay/) > [“I had never realized before how quickly men deteriorate without razors and clean shirts. They are like potted plants that go to weed unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-had-never-realized-before-how-quickly-men-deteriorate-without/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“Pruned my subconscious. Discovered new shoots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-jo-martine/pruned-my-subconscious-discovered-new-shoots/) [Sally Jo Martine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-jo-martine/) > [As the most generous vine, if it is not pruned, runs out into many superfluous stems, and grows at last weak and fruitless; so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hall/as-the-most-generous-vine-if-it-is-not-pruned-runs-out-into-many/) [Joseph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hall/) > [“A whole section of the family tree is pruned and primped and assessed as I politely sit there. Overall, I detect that the tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padgett-powell/a-whole-section-of-the-family-tree-is-pruned-and-primped-and-assessed/) [Padgett Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padgett-powell/) > [“Oh oak tree, how they have pruned you. Now you stand odd and strangely shaped! You were hacked a hundred times until you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/oh-oak-tree-how-they-have-pruned-you-now-you-stand-odd-and-strangely/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“My breathing calmed and I left my body. I felt myself rising up from the floor, where I was pinned. It was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-trujillo/my-breathing-calmed-and-i-left-my-body-i-felt-myself-rising-up-from/) [Olga Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-trujillo/) ## More by Sarah Addison Allen > [“It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it?…Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/it-feels-like-he-s-taken-your-heart-doesn-t-it-like-he-s-reached-in/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Nothing is really broke, so it's not like I can fix it. I just have to keep trying to find what I'm looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/nothing-is-really-broke-so-it-s-not-like-i-can-fix-it-i-just-have-to/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Sometimes people who had been together for a long time got to imagining that things used to be better, even when they weren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sometimes-people-who-had-been-together-for-a-long-time-got-to/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“There was such a feeling of peace around them, it was soft and pink and smelled of butter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/there-was-such-a-feeling-of-peace-around-them-it-was-soft-and-pink/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“The two giant oaks in the front yard looked like flustered ladies caught mid-curtsy, their starched green leaf-dresses swaying in the wind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/the-two-giant-oaks-in-the-front-yard-looked-like-flustered-ladies/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Men. You can't live with them, you can't shoot them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/men-you-can-t-live-with-them-you-can-t-shoot-them/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“After awhile, all the men wanted his opinion, and all the girls were in love with him. He made certain of it. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/after-awhile-all-the-men-wanted-his-opinion-and-all-the-girls-were-in/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [People adapt. People change. You can grow where you're planted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/people-adapt-people-change-you-can-grow-where-you-re-planted/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“She wasn’t sure exactly when it happened when she had realized that she could only make one of them happy. She only knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-wasn-t-sure-exactly-when-it-happened-when-she-had-realized-that/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [I'll give you one day at a time, Claire. But remember, I'm thousands of days ahead already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/i-ll-give-you-one-day-at-a-time-claire-but-remember-i-m-thousands-of/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“She opened her eyes slowly and saw that a pale lavender moth had come to a rest on the back of her hand. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-opened-her-eyes-slowly-and-saw-that-a-pale-lavender-moth-had-come/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [How could someone with a life this full feel this empty?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/how-could-someone-with-a-life-this-full-feel-this-empty/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Her life was monotonous, but it kept her out of trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/her-life-was-monotonous-but-it-kept-her-out-of-trouble/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“She knew him in that way you can only know a person you remember as a child, like if you cracked away the adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-knew-him-in-that-way-you-can-only-know-a-person-you-remember-as-a/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) [Explore all 362 Sarah Addison Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) ## More Mind quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. 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A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 43,542 Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But then he would come home...and he would feel a strange sensation, like his feet growing heavy. It was as if he was sinking back into the root system of this place. 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