Skip to content

Coffin Quote by Terry Pratchett

“Vargo climbed in, twisted and turned a few times to get comfortable on the pillow, then pulled the lid down and latched it. As the eye of narrative drew back from the coffin on its stand, two things happened. One happened comparatively slowly, and this was Vargo's realization that he never…” quote by Terry Pratchett
Download Open image
““Vargo climbed in, twisted and turned a few times to get comfortable on the pillow, then pulled the lid down and latched it. As the eye of narrative drew back from the coffin on its stand, two things happened. One happened comparatively slowly, and this was Vargo's realization that he never recalled the coffin having a pillow before. The other was Greebo deciding that he was as mad as hell and wasn't going to take it any more. He'd been shaken around in the wheely thing and then sat on by Nanny, and he was angry about that because he knew, in a dim, animal way, that scratching Nanny might be the single most stupid thing he could do in the whole world, since no one else was prepared to feed him. This hadn't helped his temper. Then he'd encountered a dog, which had tried to lick him. He'd scratched and bitten it a few times, but this had had no effect apart from encouraging it to try to be more friendly. He'd finally found a comfy resting place and had curled up into a ball, and now someone was using him as a cushion - There wasn't a great deal of noise. The coffin rocked a few times, and then pivoted around.””

Terry Pratchett

About This Quote

Source Novel: Discworld series, 1990s

A chaotic scene where a character confronts absurdity, illustrating frustration and the absurdity of expectations.

In simple terms: Chaos leads to frustration and absurd outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Accept absurdity and adapt.

Themes

absurdity frustration expectations

Mood

wry darkly comedic

Type

literary humorous

When to use this quote

  • reading
  • creative writing
  • stress coping

Key Concepts

narrative irony character conflict

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does this scene reveal about coping with chaos?
  • How can humor help in frustrating situations?
A Different Perspective

The humor may downplay genuine distress.

2.0 out of 5 (8 ratings)

More by Terry Pratchett

Explore all 3,330 Terry Pratchett quotes

More Coffin quotes

Browse all 215 Coffin quotes