Bank account Quote by William H. Gass
““Blue pencils, blue noses, blue movies, laws, blue legs and stockings, the language of birds, bees and flowers as sung by longshoremen, that lead-like look the skin has when affected by cold, contusion, sickness, fear; the rotten rum or gin they call blue ruin and the blue devils of its delirium; Russian cats and oysters, a withheld or imprisoned breath, the blue they say that diamonds have, deep holes in the ocean and the blazers which English athletes earn that gentlemen may wear; afflictions of the spirit--dumps, mopes, Mondays--all that's dismal--low-down gloomy music, Nova Scotians, cyanosis, hair rinse, bluing, bleach; the rare blue dahlia like the blue moon shrewd things happen only once in, or the call for trumps in whist (but who remembers whist or what the death of unplayed games is like?), and correspondingly the flag, Blue Peter, which is our signal for getting under way; a swift pitch, Confederate money, the shaded slopes of clouds and mountains, and so the constantly increasing absentness of Heaven (ins Blaue hinein, the Germans say), consequently the color of everything that's empty: blue bottles, bank accounts, and compliments, for instance.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Blue” from The Tunnel, 1995
The passage catalogues countless “blue” references to illustrate how language and perception color experience, linking color to emotion, culture, and meaning.
In simple terms: Blue is used as a metaphor for many aspects of life and feeling.
Key Takeaway
Notice how color shapes thought and expression.
Themes
language
metaphor
culture
perception
emotion
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- creative writing
- art criticism
- psychology of color
Key Concepts
symbolism
semantic fields
color theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How does color influence your mood?
- Can you find other colors used similarly?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overextend, making connections feel forced.
