--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had a face like a nutcracker; a…" description: "\"“He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age, with merry secretive eyes.”\" — William Faulkner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png" --- # He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no… ![“He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age, with merry secretive eyes.” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png) > ““He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age, with merry secretive eyes.”” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid physical description conveys a character’s rough, unremarkable appearance contrasted with a lively, secretive gaze. **In simple terms:** Looks rough but eyes hide hidden depth. Key Takeaway Notice how appearances can mask inner life. Themes character description appearance contrast Mood intriguing observational Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - character introduction - first impressions - narrative voice Key Concepts literary realism visual imagery Questions to Reflect On - How does appearance affect our judgments? - What might the eyes suggest about his inner world? A Different Perspective Physical description may not reveal true personality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Like Nutcracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-nutcracker-3427380/) [Nutcracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nutcracker/) [Nutcracker Scrawny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nutcracker-scrawny-4756565/) [Scrawny Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrawny-man-4756566/) [Secretive Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretive-eyes-4438312/) ## Related quotes > [It’s a woman saying something secretive, something in her eyes that’s almost animalistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-von-unwerth/it-s-a-woman-saying-something-secretive-something-in-her-eyes-that-s/) [Ellen von Unwerth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-von-unwerth/) > [I saw the Nutcracker to be a dummy as I thought of its mouth moving like a nutcracker - and also find them pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-bourne/i-saw-the-nutcracker-to-be-a-dummy-as-i-thought-of-its-mouth-moving/) [Matthew Bourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-bourne/) > [“What’s missing from the literature of our species are the stories of the peasants. The filthy illiterate. Those with no firm address, no surname.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/what-s-missing-from-the-literature-of-our-species-are-the-stories-of/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [You cannot dance an arabesque in 'Swan Lake' and 'Nutcracker' the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/you-cannot-dance-an-arabesque-in-swan-lake-and-nutcracker-the-same-way/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [“It became legend that no one should wander too close to the sorceress's enchanted forest or she would send forth a blizzard, causing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/it-became-legend-that-no-one-should-wander-too-close-to-the-sorceress/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [I like the plot of The Nutcracker - not at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/i-like-the-plot-of-the-nutcracker-not-at-all/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [My sister was in ballet growing up. I spent almost the entirety of 7 through 12 backstage at Lincoln Center, just running around, waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothee-chalamet/my-sister-was-in-ballet-growing-up-i-spent-almost-the-entirety-of-7/) [Timothee Chalamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothee-chalamet/) > [When December comes, can The Nutcracker be far behind? No, it cant - not in America, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/when-december-comes-can-the-nutcracker-be-far-behind-no-it-cant-not/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [One lived in the impression that nobody could ever compete with the 'Nutcracker' or 'A Christmas Carol.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-menotti/one-lived-in-the-impression-that-nobody-could-ever-compete-with-the/) [Gian Carlo Menotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-menotti/) > [“This is, indeed, a place where magic happens…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/this-is-indeed-a-place-where-magic-happens/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [“I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t half of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/i-don-t-know-what-s-real-and-what-isn-t-half-of-the-time/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [“Oh, fairling,” he breathed, “you light up the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/oh-fairling-he-breathed-you-light-up-the-dark/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [I went to 'The Nutcracker' every year with my grandma and aunt. Then, in my early teen years, I thought I wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinkx-monsoon/i-went-to-the-nutcracker-every-year-with-my-grandma-and-aunt-then-in/) [Jinkx Monsoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinkx-monsoon/) > [My parents always had a Christmas tree in the house and I was put in ballet at a very young age. So every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/my-parents-always-had-a-christmas-tree-in-the-house-and-i-was-put-in/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [“How many times in a life, he thought, will I lie down in a darkness whose character I cannot imagine, to see what daybreak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/how-many-times-in-a-life-he-thought-will-i-lie-down-in-a-darkness/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. The hat seemed to isolate Luster's skull,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/luster-returned-wearing-a-stiff-new-straw-hat-with-a-colored-band-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [And sure enough, even waiting will end...if you can just wait long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-sure-enough-even-waiting-will-end-if-you-can-just-wait-long-enough/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-believe-that-man-will-not-merely-endure-he-will-prevail-he-is/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/to-understand-the-world-you-must-first-understand-a-place-like/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What modren ideas?” pap said. “I didn’t know there was but one idea about work—until it is done, it ain’t done, and when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-modren-ideas-pap-said-i-didn-t-know-there-was-but-one-idea-about/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She has no mother because fatherblood hates with love and pride, but motherblood with hate loves and cohabits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/she-has-no-mother-because-fatherblood-hates-with-love-and-pride-but/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Byron listened quietly, thinking to himself how people everywhere are about the same, but that it did seem that in a small town, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/byron-listened-quietly-thinking-to-himself-how-people-everywhere-are/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was too late. Maybe yesterday, while I was still a child, but not now. I knew too much, had seen too much, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-too-late-maybe-yesterday-while-i-was-still-a-child-but-not-now/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) [Explore all 673 William Faulkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More Nutcracker quotes > [“How many times in a life, he thought, will I lie down in a darkness whose character I cannot imagine, to see what daybreak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/how-many-times-in-a-life-he-thought-will-i-lie-down-in-a-darkness/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [My parents always had a Christmas tree in the house and I was put in ballet at a very young age. So every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/my-parents-always-had-a-christmas-tree-in-the-house-and-i-was-put-in/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [I went to 'The Nutcracker' every year with my grandma and aunt. Then, in my early teen years, I thought I wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinkx-monsoon/i-went-to-the-nutcracker-every-year-with-my-grandma-and-aunt-then-in/) [Jinkx Monsoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinkx-monsoon/) > [“Oh, fairling,” he breathed, “you light up the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/oh-fairling-he-breathed-you-light-up-the-dark/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [“I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t half of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/i-don-t-know-what-s-real-and-what-isn-t-half-of-the-time/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [“This is, indeed, a place where magic happens…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/this-is-indeed-a-place-where-magic-happens/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [One lived in the impression that nobody could ever compete with the 'Nutcracker' or 'A Christmas Carol.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-menotti/one-lived-in-the-impression-that-nobody-could-ever-compete-with-the/) [Gian Carlo Menotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-menotti/) > [When December comes, can The Nutcracker be far behind? No, it cant - not in America, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/when-december-comes-can-the-nutcracker-be-far-behind-no-it-cant-not/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [My sister was in ballet growing up. I spent almost the entirety of 7 through 12 backstage at Lincoln Center, just running around, waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothee-chalamet/my-sister-was-in-ballet-growing-up-i-spent-almost-the-entirety-of-7/) [Timothee Chalamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothee-chalamet/) > [I like the plot of The Nutcracker - not at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/i-like-the-plot-of-the-nutcracker-not-at-all/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [“It became legend that no one should wander too close to the sorceress's enchanted forest or she would send forth a blizzard, causing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-v-shane/it-became-legend-that-no-one-should-wander-too-close-to-the-sorceress/) [Amanda V. Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-v-shane/) > [You cannot dance an arabesque in 'Swan Lake' and 'Nutcracker' the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/you-cannot-dance-an-arabesque-in-swan-lake-and-nutcracker-the-same-way/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [“What’s missing from the literature of our species are the stories of the peasants. The filthy illiterate. Those with no firm address, no surname.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/what-s-missing-from-the-literature-of-our-species-are-the-stories-of/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories. Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-nutcracker-sits-under-the-holiday-tree-a-guardian-of-childhood/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [The trick with 'Nutcracker' was figure out how much, and where, we could the Tchaikovsky - using as much as we possibly could and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-newton-howard/the-trick-with-nutcracker-was-figure-out-how-much-and-where-we-could/) [James Newton Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-newton-howard/) [Browse all 21 Nutcracker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nutcracker/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age, with merry secretive eyes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Faulkner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawny-man-of-no-particular-age/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nutcracker" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawny-man-of-no-particular-age/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/william-faulkner-306_nutcracker_he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawn_2188346.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age, with merry secretive eyes.” — William Faulkner", "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": "William Faulkner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He had a face like a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawny-man-of-no-particular-age/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-had-a-face-like-a-nutcracker-a-scrawny-man-of-no-particular-age/#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 } } ] } ```