---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of…"
description: "\"“Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost on him be rippling most intense here in this amply coded room? say why should walking in here..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg"
---

#  Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost…

![“Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost on him be rippling most intense here in this amply coded room? say why should walking in here be almost the same as entering the Forbidden itself—here are the same long rooms, rooms of old paralysis and evil distillery, of condensations and…” quote by Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg)

> ““Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost on him be rippling most intense here in this amply coded room? say why should walking in here be almost the same as entering the Forbidden itself—here are the same long rooms, rooms of old paralysis and evil distillery, of condensations and residues you are afraid to smell from forgotten corruptions, rooms full of upright gray-feathered statues with wings spread, indistinct faces in dust—rooms full of dust that will cloud the shapes of inhabitants around the corners or deeper inside, that will settle on their black formal lapels, that will soften to sugar the white faces, white shirt fronts, gems and gowns, white hands that move too quickly to be seen…what game do They deal? What passes are these, so blurred, so old and perfect? “Fuck you,” whispers Slothrop. It’s the only spell he knows, and a pretty good all-purpose one at that. His whisper is baffled by the thousands of tiny rococo surfaces. Maybe he’ll sneak in tonight—no not at night—but sometime, with a bucket and brush, paint FUCK YOU in a balloon coming out of the mouth of one of those little pink shepherdresses there…””

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

## 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 describes a surreal, oppressive environment that blurs reality and imagination, reflecting existential dread and rebellion against oppressive systems.

**In simple terms:** A bizarre, oppressive setting fuels rebellion.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and confront oppressive absurdities.

Themes

existential dread rebellion surrealism oppression perception

Mood

uneasy defiant disorienting

Type

literary philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- navigating bureaucratic labyrinths
- artistic expression
- psychological self‑defense
- creative protest

Key Concepts

postmodernism absurdity psychological tension

Questions to Reflect On

- How does absurdity reveal truth?
- What role does rebellion play in oppressive spaces?

A Different Perspective

The chaotic imagery may obscure clear meaning, making interpretation difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [The sky is the limit as long as you keep the rooms practical, and I have become better at that since I had children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-wearstler/the-sky-is-the-limit-as-long-as-you-keep-the-rooms-practical-and-i/)

[Kelly Wearstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-wearstler/)

> [When people show up to your work and enjoy it for years, like the way they have 'The Room,' what do you say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/when-people-show-up-to-your-work-and-enjoy-it-for-years-like-the-way/)

[Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/)

> [“The next challenge was how to give it to her. Should he just put it in the spare bedroom, take her by the hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-campisi/the-next-challenge-was-how-to-give-it-to-her-should-he-just-put-it-in/)

[Mary Campisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-campisi/)

> [Silent is about needing to make a scene shorter by having physical things to cut to. That way, you can manipulate a character to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/silent-is-about-needing-to-make-a-scene-shorter-by-having-physical/)

[Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/)

> [When the light comes into a room, we do not have to say, "Now what are we going to do about the darkness?" It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/when-the-light-comes-into-a-room-we-do-not-have-to-say-now-what-are/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [I have found that so many directors and producers in the room say nothing, and this can be deadly. It's very difficult to audition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-jones/i-have-found-that-so-many-directors-and-producers-in-the-room-say/)

[Allison Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-jones/)

> [“He would get tripped up in simple conversation. When I’d leave the art room and I’d say something like, “See you next time.” Instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-lane/he-would-get-tripped-up-in-simple-conversation-when-i-d-leave-the-art/)

Lindsey Lane

> [Any man can fart in a closed room and say that he commands the wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/any-man-can-fart-in-a-closed-room-and-say-that-he-commands-the-wind/)

[Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/)

> [When I grow up and my daughter asks me who my first love was. I dont want to take out the photo albums. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-grow-up-and-my-daughter-asks-me-who-my-first-love-was-i-dont/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Not five minutes after Alona had vanished through the far wall of my bedroom, my mom had poked her head in my room to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-kade/not-five-minutes-after-alona-had-vanished-through-the-far-wall-of-my/)

[Stacey Kade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-kade/)

> [My philosophy: find what it is you want to say, walk in the room, say it, and get the hell out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-straczynski/my-philosophy-find-what-it-is-you-want-to-say-walk-in-the-room-say-it/)

[J. Michael Straczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-michael-straczynski/)

> [“There are 2 kinds of people in the world- those who walk into a room and say "There you are" and those who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-2-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-walk-into-a-room/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are two types of people. Those we who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!" and those who come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-l-collins/there-are-two-types-of-people-those-we-who-come-into-a-room-and-say/)

Frederick L. Collins

> [“Are you still scared of Mike's room?" I say, giggling. He falls face first onto the pillow I just threw at him. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kenneally/are-you-still-scared-of-mike-s-room-i-say-giggling-he-falls-face/)

[Miranda Kenneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kenneally/)

> [“There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who walk into a room and say ‘Here I am’ and those who walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-those-who-walk-into-a/)

[Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/)

## More by Thomas Pynchon

> [“How strange tonight, this city. As if something trembled below its surface, waiting to burst through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/how-strange-tonight-this-city-as-if-something-trembled-below-its/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“It was one of those great iron afternoons in London: the yellow sun being teased apart by a thoasand chimneys breathing, fawning upward without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/it-was-one-of-those-great-iron-afternoons-in-london-the-yellow-sun/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Surely for as long as there have been nights as bad as this one---something to raise the possibility of another night that could actually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/surely-for-as-long-as-there-have-been-nights-as-bad-as-this-one/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Death glided by, shadowless, among the empties on the grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/death-glided-by-shadowless-among-the-empties-on-the-grass/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“People read what news they wanted to and each accordingly built his own rathouse of history's rags and straws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/people-read-what-news-they-wanted-to-and-each-accordingly-built-his/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Out of that night and day of unconditional wrath, folks would've expected to see any city, if it survived, all newly reborn, purified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/out-of-that-night-and-day-of-unconditional-wrath-folks-would-ve/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“As spread thighs are to the libertine...so was the letter V to young Stencil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/as-spread-thighs-are-to-the-libertine-so-was-the-letter-v-to-young/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Oedipa wondered whether, at the end of this (if it were supposed to end), she too might not be left with only compiled memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/oedipa-wondered-whether-at-the-end-of-this-if-it-were-supposed-to-end/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/if-they-can-get-you-asking-the-wrong-questions-they-don-t-have-to/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“remember didn't you sneak away from camp to have a moment alone with What you felt stirring across the land . . . it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/remember-didn-t-you-sneak-away-from-camp-to-have-a-moment-alone-with/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Through rain...then through dreaming glass, green with the evening. And herself in chair, old-fashioned, bonneted, looking west over the deck of Earth, inferno red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/through-rain-then-through-dreaming-glass-green-with-the-evening-and/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“She knew instinctively: he will be fine as the fraternity boy just out of an Ivy League school who knows he will never stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/she-knew-instinctively-he-will-be-fine-as-the-fraternity-boy-just-out/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Lovely morning, World War Two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/lovely-morning-world-war-two/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“Listen to anything and take it apart again. Spectrum analysis, in my head. I can break down chords, and timbres, and words too into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/listen-to-anything-and-take-it-apart-again-spectrum-analysis-in-my/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [A screaming comes across the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/a-screaming-comes-across-the-sky/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

[Explore all 483 Thomas Pynchon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

## More Around the corner quotes

> [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/)

[Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/)

> [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/)

[Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/)

[Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/)

> [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/)

[Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/)

> [At some point during almost every romantic comedy, the female lead suddenly trips and falls, stumbling helplessly over something ridiculous like a leaf, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/at-some-point-during-almost-every-romantic-comedy-the-female-lead/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [“A courteous war mage. The world really was coming to an end. And then Pritkin ran back around the corner followed by half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/a-courteous-war-mage-the-world-really-was-coming-to-an-end-and-then/)

[Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/)

> [You don't know what's coming for you in life, and you don't know what's around the corner. When you're in a great deal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-wyman/you-don-t-know-what-s-coming-for-you-in-life-and-you-don-t-know-what/)

[J.H. Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-wyman/)

> [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/)

[Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/)

> [One thing that's certain: around the corner from every ugly thing, there's something really beautiful. If we stop at every bitter interaction; we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/one-thing-that-s-certain-around-the-corner-from-every-ugly-thing/)

[Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/)

> [“job 14:1 man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of troubles "If that isn't your experience now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/job-14-1-man-who-is-born-of-a-woman-is-few-of-days-and-full-of/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/)

[E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/)

> [And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-grier/and-as-i-reinvent-myself-and-i-m-constantly-curious-about-everything/)

[Pam Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-grier/)

> [I know what is around the corner - I just don't know where the corner is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keegan/i-know-what-is-around-the-corner-i-just-don-t-know-where-the-corner-is/)

[Kevin Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keegan/)

> [I love being the age I am, because if there's enough pain or grief, I have enough experience now to realize that there's joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gilbert/i-love-being-the-age-i-am-because-if-there-s-enough-pain-or-grief-i/)

[Sara Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gilbert/)

Browse all 569 Around the corner quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost on him be rippling most intense here in this amply coded room? say why should walking in here be almost the same as entering the Forbidden itself—here are the same long rooms, rooms of old paralysis and evil distillery, of condensations and residues you are afraid to smell from forgotten corruptions, rooms full of upright gray-feathered statues with wings spread, indistinct faces in dust—rooms full of dust that will cloud the shapes of inhabitants around the corners or deeper inside, that will settle on their black formal lapels, that will soften to sugar the white faces, white shirt fronts, gems and gowns, white hands that move too quickly to be seen…what game do They deal? What passes are these, so blurred, so old and perfect? “Fuck you,” whispers Slothrop. It’s the only spell he knows, and a pretty good all-purpose one at that. His whisper is baffled by the thousands of tiny rococo surfaces. Maybe he’ll sneak in tonight—no not at night—but sometime, with a bucket and brush, paint FUCK YOU in a balloon coming out of the mouth of one of those little pink shepherdresses there…”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Pynchon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of-what-is-almost-on-him-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Around the corner"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of-what-is-almost-on-him-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/thomas-pynchon-533_around-the-corner_why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of_2809804.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why here? Why should the rainbow edges of what is almost on him be rippling most intense here in this amply…” — Thomas Pynchon",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Pynchon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Why here? Why should the rainbow...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of-what-is-almost-on-him-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/why-here-why-should-the-rainbow-edges-of-what-is-almost-on-him-be/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
