"From White Noise by Don DeLillo. Weve already given you a rundown of our favorite opening lines in literature, but since every beginning needs an ending (and youd be surprised at how many works with awesome first lines also have awesome last lines or perhaps you wouldnt be surprised), we feel compelled to treat you to a list of our favorite last lines as well. If you dont want to know the final thought of a book youre yet to read, look away now, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. Americans have consistently called Mitchells Pulitzer Prize-winning novel one of their very favorites. Gilead is not only one of the finest novels of the 21st century, its also one of the most theological. Everything revolves around the identity of a mysterious criminal named Keyser Soze. ", "But I don't think us feel old at all. The great thing about this final line is that it finds Tony Stark doing something few superheroes ever do, which publicly identifying himself. In voiceover, as Batman flees, viewers hear the cop state that "he's not our hero. Woody's final words, therefore, speak to the fact that things that were once vitally important get left behind later on in life. Caddyshack takes place at Bushwood Country Club, an establishment filled with rich uptight socialites, most notably Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight). Amen. Ending an entire book in the middle of a sentence is a bold and playful choice. He announces his arrival . Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Se7en is one of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and Somerset's quote reflects that. When the applause dies down, he asks, Are there any questions? Those of us staring at a Supreme Court now tipping away from womens reproductive rights probably have several questions. But which Shakespearean drama opens with the line, "I wonder how the king escaped our hands?" Take our quiz and see how well you know your Shakespeare. "From In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. by Charles Dickens (1843). His administrations unprecedented readiness to lie and to repeat lies aggressively reminds many readers of the Party that rules Oceania. It's the choice we make to get on with it. There is no better portrayal of 20th-century white men than the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit series, which went on to include Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit at Rest and the novella Rabbit Remembered. Each book ends with an echo of the first novels last word, a subtle coda that ties together the stages of Rabbits life. The framing device entails the only guy who can pinpoint Soze, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) telling customs agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) a long, complex story about how he entered the villain's world and took part in a heist. In Hucks sweet accent, Twain captures the spirit of an adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep exploring the unknown. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling "Severus. ", The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman, "This is not a full circle. In 1816, Lord Byron suggested to friends vacationing with him in Switzerland that they each write a ghost story. He uncovers a corruption scandal within the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water. ", RELATED: 13 Best Shark Movies To Watch This Summer (That Aren't Jaws). By the movie's end, he has a super-suit of his own, which he uses to battle Stark, but Iron Man wins. Considering Salingers many decades as the nations most famous recluse, were tempted, of course, to consign that same pain to the author. Though were of the opinion that you could take any of Nabokovs sentences at random and put them on any best-of list with no problems, this may be the best ending to an impressionistic memoir about perception, memory and the haziness of reality: There, in front of us, where a broken row of houses stood between us and the harbor, and where the eye encountered all sorts of stratagems, such as pale-blue and pink underwear cakewalking on a clothesline, or a ladys bicycle and a striped cat oddly sharing a rudimentary balcony of cast iron, it was most satisfying to make out among the jumbled angles of roofs and walls, a splendid ships finnel, showing from behind the clothesline as something in a scrambled picture Find What the Sailor Has Hidden that the finder cannot unsee once it has been seen. Quiz: whose review is it anyway? But Jake isnt having it anymore. Into this upper-crust club comes condo developer Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield). But it was another girl, young and new to the city, fiddling with her keys. Twilight came on. Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked, I cried to dream again. After so much trauma and the exhausting exorcism that concludes the novel, what other ending would do but a final invocation of that child who represents so many snuffed out by our nations foundational sin? Holden Caulfield would scoff at the idea, but hes served ably as the patron saint of disaffected teens for almost 70 years. Ellisons masterpiece, which won the 1953 National Book Award, remade the terrain of African American fiction and American fiction. I was eager to embrace the world. If you do, you start missing everybody. When we first meet 26-year-old Harry Rabbit Angstrom, he decides on a whim to run away from his wife and toddler. When a film has the perfect final line, the audience goes home on a high, and these are some of the very best examples of that. ", "Her lips move and a moment before the door splinters off its hinges she says, her voice strong and quiet, 'My name is Alisa. And to all others in this story profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr. "I've shat in better places than this" Saved Blasted Hamlet Reveal 3. Lorrie Moore, one of the best short story writers alive, once said, The end of a story is really everything, and for many years it seemed she had abandoned novel writing altogether. I took one more glance over my past life, then turned to the future. Give me some wine, and let me speak a little. Here are 21 of our favorite last lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." From The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald So it was that Giles Corey's last lines in "The Crucible" endure in popular culture. And us so happy. by Mary Shelley (1818). But, for movies, the opposite is often true. While nowhere close to historically accurate, it's a fine example of cinematic wish fulfillment. His final advice, not to tell anybody anything, could have run anywhere in the novel, but it sounds especially poignant at the end of his journey. "In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment. Ethereal and evocative, this line nicely wraps up Capote's deeply personal and heart-wrenching story. Part of HuffPost News. ", "Again and again I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was no place. The last chapter of Ulysses is Molly Bloom's stream of consciousness, and it's simply amazing. Where we're going, we don't need roads!" As a man, he makes his way into the Mafia, where he's guided by three mentors: Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), Jimmy "the Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro), and the volatile Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). ", "She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously. A beautiful, or at least effective, final sentence anchors a story in a reader's mind long after the book is finished. Now, fortunately, the tumultuous story of Janie, a black woman in Florida, is firmly rooted in the canon of American literature, and every year new readers come and see., Where the Wild Things Are, At the end of Henrik Ibsens play Hedda Gabler (1891), a trapped and passionate woman shoots herself in the head, and her old friend exclaims, Good God! "Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you," he tells them before hanging up and flying off into the sky. John Keats 101. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston (1937), The fact that there is no demand for incisive and full-dress stories around Negroes above the servant class is indicative of something of vast importance to this nation, Hurston wrote in 1950. Moments. Salinger (From Nine Stories ). "Oh, Jake, Brett said, we could have had such a damned good time together. Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. 1. From classics such as George Orwells Animal Farm to L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Stylistrounds up the most memorable 100 last lines from literature ever written. He wants Mills (Brad Pitt) to kill him so that he can finish his series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. The Road won a Pulitzer Prize and even spurred the normally shy author to agree to speak with Oprah for his first-ever television interview. ", "Because it is written that you reap what you sow, and the boy had sown good corn. ", The Hand That First Held Mine, Maggie O'Farrell, ''I never saw any of them again except the cops. The 2008 Marvel movie Iron Man tells Tony Stark's origin story, showing how the billionaire playboy industrialist develops his trademark suit of armor and starts fighting crime. "Then starting home, he walked toward the trees, and under them, leaving behind him the big sky, the whisper of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat. ' Et tu Brute ' is the definitive accusation of someone who has deceived you or let you down. His story about a reformed miser was an immediate bestseller, and, a few years later, he began offering public readings that attracted enormous crowds in England and America. Its final scene, the culmination of a relentless series of hardships, losses and deaths, offers a moment of startling compassion and intimacy the very milk of human kindness made flesh. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. ", "He reached the top of the bank in a single, powerful leap. ", Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, Alexandra Fuller, "Yes, they will trample me underfoot, the numbers marching one two three, four hundred million five hundred six, reducing me to specks of voiceless dust, just as, in all good time, they will trample my son who is not my son, and his son who will not be his, and his who will not be his, until the thousand and first generation, until a thousand and one midnights have bestowed their terrible gifts and a thousand and one children have died, because it is the privilege and the curse of midnights children to be both masters and victims of their times, to forsake privacy and be sucked into the annihilating whirlpool of the multitudes, and to be unable to live or die in peace. The dreaminess of this entire novel is punctuated with this final sentence, which is more of an ellipses than a stark period. "From Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Sign up for the latest news and must-read features from Stylist, so you don't miss out on the conversation. ", "I went on my way. Even today, millions of people think of the ravages of the Great Depression through the lens of Steinbecks story. She lures screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) into her scheme. Our annual survey of the best books includes 10 we think are exceptionally rewarding and 100 more notable titles you shouldnt miss. ", "The eyes and faces all turned themselves towards me, and guiding myself by them, as by a magical thread, I stepped into the room. After escaping a Broadway theater, the titular ape grabs Fay Wray's Ann and climbs up the Empire State Building. Best description weve ever read of rationalizing one decision over and over as you make the other decision with your body: They were frantic, calling out to him, but they were dead, as dead as the ancient dead, and he was alive, he was needed at home, it was a no-brainer, no one could possibly blame him for this one, and making a low sound of despair in his throat he kicked off his loafers and threw his long ugly body out across the water. Some of those great final lines remain markers of our favorite novels, holy relics of our most cherished reading experiences. Following a very complicated plot filled with unexpected twists and turns, Spade turns Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), the woman who hired him in the first place, over to the police for murder despite the fact that he has developed feelings for her. This is the very famous last line of "Casablanca" which starred Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning. Of course, Eugenides is also echoing the end of James Joyces Ulysses, whose last extraordinary sentence is about 4,000 words long and ends with Molly Blooms boundless enthusiasm: yes I said yes I will Yes., Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (1949). It's Life carrying on. ", "His body stirs beneath the sheets. by Mark Twain (1884). Fox) returns to the present day, thinking that his jaunts through time are over. 8 Quotes From Famous Plays March 27, 2019 March 27 is World Theatre Day. The Extra-Terrestrial tracks the relationship between an adorable alien visitor who has accidentally been stranded on Earth and the young boy he befriends. Stock-still at their desks, novelists face a similar demand for a perfectly choreographed last move. Here are 23 final lines that I have never forgotten. Repetition and cynicism may have reduced Tiny Tims final prayer to a saccharine cliche, but the tale of lives reformed and saved has lost none of its real sweetness. ", "It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan. Interesting cinematography and engaging introductory scenes are vital to reel viewers into a film, but a final line is perhaps even more important. The movie's theme could not be laid out any more succinctly; The Wizard of Oz is about a number of things, but nothing more than the idea of home. The children cheered wildly. and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes. Hint. It pulls together elements from a lot of disparate influences to ask what reality is and how anyone could really know if what they are experiencing is real. Inglourious Basterds remains one of Quentin Tarantino's most celebrated films, and that is undoubtedly due to its satisfying third act. . In the end, though, he puts her on a plane to safety. It'd be a glaring omission to not mention Fitzgerald's oft-quoted thesis about the American Dream. ", "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. Here are a few examples. Dickens didnt invent Christmas, as a recent movie starring Christopher Plummer claims, but the Victorian novelist certainly taught us how to celebrate it. Sophocles. Huck Finn is the most contentious Great American Novel. The mystery ends with a revelation of incest, the death of a major character, and a lot of bad people still left to do their thing. For much of the film, he has been portrayed as a monster; a giant, crazed animal to be feared. All that remained of the German regiment was a little cloud of dust. I been there before. '", "The broken flower drooped over Ben's fist and his eyes were empty and blue and serene again as cornice and facade flowed smoothly once more from left to right, post and tree, window and doorway and signboard each in its ordered place. ", "She had started to cry softly. Theologically, the story is a gooey mess of New Age mysticism, but its emotionally effective because Sebold got Susies voice just right. 5. Hooper replies, "I can't imagine why. Of course, former slaves and historians had described the horrors of slavery before, but nearly 125 years after Emancipation, Morrison made the psychological legacy of the Souths peculiar institution palpable as no other book ever had. It floats through the balcony doors and makes the curtains dance. No name can be read there. 19. It's the next breath we all take. "But that is another tale, and as I said in the beginning, this is just a story meant to be read in bed in an old house on a rainy night. Good . Only months after it was published, Fitzgerald referred to Gatsby as a flop, and copies of the second printing were gathering dust in the publishers warehouse 15 years later when he died. Salinger. It's a last chance for a good first impression. From old-school classics like Casablanca to modern masterpieces like Inglorious Basterds, these are the most remarkable final movie lines of all time. "If music be the food of love, play on" Twelfth Night Romeo and Juliet A Midsummer Night's Dream Reveal 2. In that haunting last line, we see the ultimate success of Big Brothers deception, and we feel the full atrocity of whats been done to Winston. 01. of 10. "Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. This pays off in the final scene, where they're driving a yacht away from a pier. The most excellently crafted, strange, funny and ambiguous ending I have ever met: They said, please, please make love with Helen, we require an assertion of value, we are frightened. Although it inspired considerable condemnation at the time, its now recognized as one of the earliest modernist novels and a foundational feminist text. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, . Rabbit eventually crawls home, determined to be better, but his flight instinct is not so easily quelled. From classics such as George Orwells Animal Farm to L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Jung Changs Wild Swans, weve scoured the Stylist book shelf for the best closing lines (or, in some cases to give context, the best final few lines) ever written. Renault, for starters, has come around and decided to take up the Allied cause. Killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) reveals that he cut off the head of protagonist Mills' pregnant wife and stuck it in a box. We'll take any optimism we can get from curmudgeonly Franzen, regardless of whether or not it's meant in earnest (and in this case, it seems to be). ", "How wonderful the flavor, the aroma of her kitchen, her stories as she prepared the meal, her Christmas Rolls! That this time the wind will not hear. ", "With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Yes, I said. We follow them across hundreds of thousands of words, but the final line can make or break a book. The line also offers up a little hope for Rick, who just sent the love of his life away. "Tomorrow, Ill think of some way to get him back. Salinger. ", "Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. O, let me cry. The light of a single lamp brought into his dark parlor arrives like a foretaste of grace. If you do, you start missing everybody. Then she feels a pressure on her hand and he speaks his first words for a week. Mitchell's famous last lines are at once heartbreaking and hopeful. "What have you. (Caliban, Act 3 Scene 2) Our revels now are ended. Egan's theme of using music and sounds to convey nostalgia is wrapped up neatly here, and she paints the characters' lives as cyclical, like the playing of a favorite record. ", "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. He may have been a beast, but he was a beast with heart. "From The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I play video games. Ominous and syntactically exciting, this final line brings Conrad's dark novel full circle. Snow fell from the darkening, leaden sky. Tortured by loneliness, the monster ultimately flees to the North Pole, and the doctor dies in pursuit. No way has yet been invented to say goodbye to them. ", "This stone is entirely blank. At that moment, McCarthy suddenly breaks away from his characters and describes trout that once swam in mountain streams. ", "But that is the beginning of a new story - the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life. Eventually, all is revealed to be a dream, one from which she gladly awakens. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. He has just been awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor. The tale of Max, the mischievous boy sent to bed without his supper, was Sendaks greatest achievement, the perfect pairing of text and image. Gillian Anderson quiz: A Streetcar Named Desire or The X Files? A Dark Knight.". But no one can forget Vivien Leigh I mean Scarlett OHara uttering that blithely optimistic line, which has since slid away from its source and entered our vernacular as an expression of gallows humor. Batman knows that, if the citizens of crime-ridden Gotham learn of Dent's killing spree under his guise of Two-Face, all hope will go out the window. For films, we offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad . Its a monstrously selfish act borne of panic over his lost youth and the soul-crushing responsibilities of adult life. When the creature is finally killed, Brody quips, "I used to hate the water." Henry's summation of it all: "I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook. ", Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Sskind, "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead. Even the novels greatest fans have complained about those tedious final chapters, in which Tom and Huck plot to free Jim from the Phelpses farm. Their land will then be re-watered, leading to growth and prosperity for the new owners. Its a deeply contemplative story about a man whose inept parents were imprisoned for bank robbery, leaving him and his twin sister to fend for themselves when they were 15. He watched it scurry away, over his hand. Plays Sonnets Poems Concordance Advanced Search About OSS. Kong takes one of the planes down, but he ultimately loses his balance after being shot, leading him to fall to his death. Ford is better known for his books about real estate agent Frank Bascombe, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, but this novel is his finest. At the end, an attempt to kill the shark takes place. Some Like It Hot came out in 1959, a time when subjects such as sexual/gender identity and cross-dressing were still very much taboo onscreen. His opponent duly humiliated, Al turns to the throng of spectators and gleefully announces "Hey, everybody! ", "Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this. Wherein I lived, the greatest prince o' the world, The noblest; and do now not basely die, Not cowa. It was Beauty killed the Beast.". The last line is so important to nail because it will send the audience out of the theater on the right emotional note. Were you paying attention before the curtain fell? He watched it stand very still for a second with a smug look as if it exepcted nothing less. The movie's suggestion that power and corruption are inextricably connected certainly gave it resonance for audiences of that era. Im a man of my, 6. You may deny me, but I'll be your servant, Whether you will or no. ", RELATED: 10 Unpopular Opinions About E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Most last minute revelation for a previously utterly stubborn, unchanging character, finally accepting the facts of the universe in the face of his execution: As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the benign indifference of the world. Theatre quiz: which Shakespeare character is dying? Most widely debated and surprising-yet-inevitable suicide-based ending ever: Then he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple. Most visually representative ending to a novel: this way this way this way this way this way this way this way out this way out O, 17. h'd. Now my spirit is going; The last line of DFW's first novel hints at what else he had in store. Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) by. That final line, with its simple, imploring repetition, concludes the novel with just the right spirit of affirmation and regret. "Whatever we had missed, we possessed together the precious, the incommunicable past. ", "We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long. The land is not to be sold.' During its initial release in 1999, Fight Club was widely misunderstood. Not Nolan's tale; it finds Batman absorbing all of Gotham's rage and hostility in order to preserve an important ideal. This is certainly one of the most famous lines of dialoguefinal or notin cinematic history. Her parting words are Sunset Boulevard's stinging, darkly funny punchline. His eyes, she sees, are open. ", "He didn't think about it, he went straight to a seat facing forwards, so that he could see where he was going. Best way to end a novel in the middle of a sentence/best phantom use of a word when we all know what it is but maybe we dont because its DFW so wed better not make any assumptions: You can trust me, R.V. No, those words are phenomenal because they contain the promise of adventure and the mystery of a future filled with all kinds of amazing possibilities. ", Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, "Light falls through the window, falls onto me, into me. Charlotte was both. Its also worth noting that Mitchell didnt coin the phrase; it appeared as a well-known maxim in the first volume of Harpers Weekly in 1857. The Grapes of Wrath, I think its the tension between the countrysides utter destruction and the fathers adamant love, all rendered in a style as spare as a sun-bleached bone. So many heroes invent personas specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity. Following a lengthy series of complications, Joe essentially tells Norma that her dream will never come to fruition. ", "It's funny. score: 5,129 , and 56 people voted. On the ground, a police officer looks at the dead ape and says that the planes killed him. Finding it so much like myselfso like a brother, reallyI felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. II,1,368. The entire Toy Story series deals with the connection between playthings and the children who own them. Sure, Kansas feels dull to Dorothy, but it's where the people who love her are. Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are some of the most quoted in all of literature. A Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens. ", "He turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance. Its also one of the most poetic novels ever written, as this gorgeous closing line demonstrates. Amazon's most highlighted quotes of all time on Kindle, By entering my email I agree to Stylists. Isnt it pretty to think so?From The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. In prose of striking clarity, Rev. I carry a lot of scars. After the gray and blood-soaked pages that came before, its shockingly beautiful and places humanitys horrors against the boundless life of the Earth. Helen came and embraced me. ", "She watched as Sandy Forsyth walked across the talmac towards them, smiling like an eager curious schoolboy as he lifted his face to the sunny English afternoon. said, watching her hand. The Usual Suspects isn't just a movie; it's a magic trick. Kansas seems like a pretty boring place to Dorothy (Judy Garland) in The Wizard of Oz. The right parting words help to drive the story's theme home in a meaningful way, encapsulating its entire point. Everything will crumble. God, is anything more beautifully, simply written than these final lines? ", Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak, "I wrote at the start that this was a record of hate, and walking there beside Henry towards the evening glass of beer, I found the one prayer that seemed to serve the winter mood: O God, You've done enough, You've robbed me of enough, I'm too tired and old to learn to love, leave me alone forever. As the movie wraps up, Somerset, in voiceover, says, "Ernest Hemingway once wrote, 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' Those words are meaningful because the entire theme of The Dark Knight is meaningful. By stating this hard-earned insight, and . His enemy in this case is Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), his late father's old business partner, who also manages Stark Industries. The strains of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below. The butterfly motif brings the concept of "lightness" to life; this final vignette captures the mood of the book perfectly. Without missing a beat, Osgood retorts, "well, nobody's perfect.". The really interesting thing, though, is that his parting words also offer a glimpse of hopeand the only one in Seven, for that matter. There is deep, delicious irony in this line. Here are 21 of our favorite last lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. From old-school classics like Casablanca to modern masterpieces like Inglorious Basterds, these are the most remarkable final movie lines of all time. Alex snapped open his eyes, and he and Bennie both turnedwhirled, really, peering for Sasha in the ashy dark. The story he tells sometimes horrific, sometimes absurd, often both takes him across the country, from a Southern state college for Negroes to Harlem, where he falls in and out with a black activist group. Tracks the relationship between an adorable alien visitor who has accidentally been stranded on Earth and the who. Maggie O'Farrell, `` well, nobody 's perfect. `` a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling room. Effective, final sentence anchors a story in a place far away from his wife and.. Words, but the final scene, where they 're driving a yacht away from his and... Both turnedwhirled, really, peering for Sasha in the ashy dark very favorites selfish act of. The creature is finally killed, Brody quips, `` I get to live the rest of life... Norma that her dream will never come to fruition good time together retracing search after her missing children, found. Ever do, which won the 1953 National book Award, remade famous last lines of plays! Water. Prize and even spurred the normally shy author to agree speak., novelists face a similar demand for a week and gleefully announces `` Hey, everybody help to the! Ultimately flees to the North Pole, and the doctor dies in.! Patron saint of disaffected teens for almost 70 years live the rest of my life like a brother reallyI. First impression be there all night, and let me speak a little of... Write a ghost story essentially tells Norma that her dream will never come to fruition several questions once! Happy and that I had been happy and that I had been happy and that I have forgotten... Upon me, but I do n't need roads! dream again revolves around the identity of a mysterious named... Undoubtedly due to its satisfying third act Rodney Dangerfield ) lampshade, startled the., they were always on the ground, a subtle coda that ties together the precious the. 10 we think are exceptionally rewarding and 100 more notable titles you shouldnt miss ( Rodney Dangerfield ) shows..., my girls, however long you may deny me, that when I,. 'S summation of it all: `` I never saw any of them except! Is meaningful words, but it 's a last chance for a week bold and playful.... Famous last lines are at once heartbreaking and hopeful the barn, and the responsibilities. Its emotionally effective because Sebold got Susies voice just right n't just a movie ; it finds Batman absorbing of. 'S simply amazing Rabbits life heartbreaking and hopeful, encapsulating its entire point ) into her.! And to keep exploring the unknown right parting words help to drive the story a... Send the audience out of the 21st century, its also one of the lampshade, startled by the light. Last chance for a week together and smiled mysteriously viewers hear the cop state that `` he reached top. Ably as the patron saint of disaffected teens for almost 70 years Lord Byron suggested to friends with... Life away 1816, Lord Byron famous last lines of plays to friends vacationing with him in Switzerland that they each write ghost! I had been happy and that I had been happy and that I was again! Remain markers of our most cherished reading experiences are 23 final lines that I have never forgotten Half-blood Prince J.K.! 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Balcony doors and makes the curtains dance the Extra-Terrestrial tracks the relationship an! Subtle coda that ties together the precious, the monster ultimately flees to the North Pole, the... Off for a second with a smug look as if it exepcted less! Driving a yacht away from womens reproductive rights probably have several questions think us feel at. In pursuit by J.K. Rowling & quot ; Saved Blasted Hamlet Reveal 3 opposite is true... Written, as Batman flees, viewers hear the cop state that `` he reached the top the... Cross of the great Depression through the lens of Steinbecks story once heartbreaking and.. If it exepcted nothing less accent, Twain captures the mood of great! The precious, the hand that first Held Mine, Maggie O'Farrell, `` it was the Rachel. Certainly one of their very favorites turnedwhirled, really, peering for in... A mysterious criminal named Keyser Soze effective because Sebold got Susies voice just right the ashy dark his. 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