Finding it so much like myselfso like a brother, reallyI felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. 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. ", "I went on my way. All was well. 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. ", Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, "When they finally did dare it, at first with stolen glances then candid ones, they had to smile. 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. What was the last line? 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. ", "Later on he will understand how some men so loved her, that they did dare much for her sake. The quoted lines occur in a voiceover as people enter and exit a hotel's revolving door. They spark interest by stating a hard truth that seemingly comes from deep within the narrator's (or writer's) soul. Perhaps the greatest failure of American literature, which is so bravely explicit about all other aspects of life, is its nervous avoidance of anything explicitly religious. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold (2002). The movie's suggestion that power and corruption are inextricably connected certainly gave it resonance for audiences of that era. How brilliant to end the novel with the grieving creature drifting away into the vast darkness and whiteness at the end of the world. 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. ", The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman, "This is not a full circle. Charlotte was both. Ames describes adventures both historical and spiritual. 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. A stormy wind rattled the scrap-iron in the ruins, whistling and howling through the charred cavities of the windows. ", Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells, "And so farewell from your little droog. It touches on the passing of youth and of more innocent times in life, but it also offers hope by pointing out that sharing toys helps keep the magic of play alive. I am serious, and dont call me Shirley. And like that he is gone. 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. Filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) corrects the officer, saying "no, it wasn't the airplanes. After ratting out Paulie and Jimmy, he enters the Witness Protection Program. Best pessimistic diagnosis of a resigned and wistful generation: Yes, I said. by Charles Dickens (1843). Lapsing into the bland objectivity of academia, the professor warns his fellow scholars to be cautious about passing moral judgment upon the Gileadean. Se7en is one of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and Somerset's quote reflects that. Her parting words are Sunset Boulevard's stinging, darkly funny punchline. Brody is, of course, being ironic. Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts. The ending would be a downer were it not for Gordon's admiring words. What, he asks himself, must he tell his 7-year-old son before hes carried away to imperishability? 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. Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas is one of the definitive mob movies of all time. The Awakening,by Kate Chopin (1899). In Hucks sweet accent, Twain captures the spirit of an adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep exploring the unknown. Books, poetry, etc?I always likedquote: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back. The chaos and disappointments of the preceding months have cured him of pointless fantasies, and he dismisses Bretts romantic speculation with this bitter rhetorical question. The Marriage Plot is a cerebral romantic comedy about Madeleine, a thoroughly modern young woman who gets her ideas of love from 18th- and 19th-century fiction. Salinger (From Nine Stories ). Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked, I cried to dream again. The Usual Suspects isn't just a movie; it's a magic trick. Hooper replies, "I can't imagine why. 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? One of his associates leads him away from the scene of a standoff, offering the advice, "forget it, Jake. 'Come in, Mrs. Brown,' she says. ", "'From the Land of Oz,' said Dorothy gravely. Upon being arrested, Norma, who is convinced that the newsreel cameras filming her capture are part of her movie production, exclaims, "Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.". The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me. Some of those great final lines remain markers of our favorite novels, holy relics of our most cherished reading experiences. For many, John Keats is the prototype of artistic genius. Not so much a rollercoaster - a rollercoaster's too smooth - a yo-yo rather - a jerking, spinning toy in the hands of a maladroit child, more like, trying too hard, too impatiently eager to learn how to operate his new yo-yo. Yes, I said. The novels final scenes of physical torture including the gruesome rat helmet are undeniably terrifying, but whats most chilling is the governments success at twisting the very minds of its subjects. Being burdened by heavy stones, the old man gave his last speech: "More weight". ", "'Rest assured, our father, rest assured. 20. The School, Donald Barthelme (From Sixty Stories). Without missing a beat, Osgood retorts, "well, nobody's perfect.". Dont ever tell anybody anything. As Woody watches him fade into the distance, he utters the bittersweet words, "so long, partner.". That contrast is most evident in the final moments. She lures screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) into her scheme. Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot revolves around two musicians, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), who witness a gangster murder. "She closes her eyes again and I begin to sing softly: Hoping that this time it will remain a lullaby. In the final pages, at the worst possible moment, he flees again, which Updike captures in that closing line swelling with deliverance and cowardice. The land is not to be sold.' ", "But, in spite of these deficiencies, the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union. ", "And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea. ", "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. The strains of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below. The first line was 'The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.'. It's Chinatown.". ", "The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off. The narrative comes to us as a sprawling letter written by John Ames, a 77-year-old Congregationalist minister who fears he might die soon. 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! by Mark Twain (1884). Elliott is visibly upset about having to part, so his intergalactic buddy lights up his finger, points it at the boy, and informs him "I'll be right here. Morrisons classic novel about slavery begins with this enigmatic line: 124 was spiteful. We come to understand that animus slowly, as the story of a murdered baby moves backward and forward in time, before and after the Civil War. Others enter into the language, take on a life of their own, and eclipse their source. "From In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Here are the 15 most highlighted Shakespeare quotes. The movie used broad humor to touch on these subjects, making for an incredibly daring comedy for the time. Even today, Chopins final image of sensuous natural beauty is deeply unsettling. "The Maltese Falcon" "Key Largo" . I kissed her a few times on the brow. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925). Caddyshack takes place at Bushwood Country Club, an establishment filled with rich uptight socialites, most notably Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight). Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling "Severus. "From White Noise by Don DeLillo. If you do, you start missing everybody. Snow fell from the darkening, leaden sky. Our annual survey of the best books includes 10 we think are exceptionally rewarding and 100 more notable titles you shouldnt miss. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O'Neill [1956]. ", Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Sskind, "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead. ", "This stone is entirely blank. Henry wanted to become a mobster specifically so he wouldn't have to live life as an average Joe. At the end, an attempt to kill the shark takes place. ", "For Siddalee Walker, the need to understand has passed, at least for the moment. 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, The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is perhaps the best Batman story ever committed to film. Ethereal and evocative, this line nicely wraps up Capote's deeply personal and heart-wrenching story. He witnesses suffering and pain, capped by the emotional devastation of his partner. Then she feels a pressure on her hand and he speaks his first words for a week. The opening sentence in a story is often considered the most important because it sets the tone for everything that's still to come. Portrait by Sophie Herxheimer. By Benjamin Voigt. If On a Winters Night a Traveler , Italo Calvino. The Catcher in the Rye , J.D. "From A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. This writers personal favorite. quiz. It's an action-filled finale that leads to Neo's poignant last words. She knew firsthand the deleterious effects of that lack of demand. We held each other. Famous Last Words in theatrical productions. Twilight came on. Having a perfect capper ensures the movie will linger in the viewer's head long after it's over. ", "He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. 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. It's why Batman, Spider-Man, and so many others wear masks. But, for movies, the opposite is often true. A beautiful, or at least effective, final sentence anchors a story in a reader's mind long after the book is finished. Its no real pleasure in life., 3. Then after a 15 year hiatus came A Gate at the Stairs, about a witty young woman trying to figure out adult life in the face of two unspeakable tragedies. 2. Her extraordinary novel Their Eyes Were Watching God fell out of print and was essentially forgotten, until Alice Walker rediscovered it in the 1970s. That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended. Stane has a personal agenda that involves manipulating the company for his own personal gain. At every turn, there are bribes, lies, cover-ups, and conspiracies. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." But how painfully ironic that Americas most macho author should be remembered for a novel about an impotent man. The late Kirk Douglas stars in Billy Wilder's film noir classic Ace in the Hole as Chuck Tatum, a disgraced newspaperman who's willing to do anything to get back on top. Its also one of the most poetic novels ever written, as this gorgeous closing line demonstrates. No way has yet been invented to say goodbye to them. ", "It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Although it inspired considerable condemnation at the time, its now recognized as one of the earliest modernist novels and a foundational feminist text. The Usual Suspects ends with a callback in which Verbal provides a very telling quote: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. Although shes still a teenager with a teenagers silly attitudes and interests, death has given her preternatural insight into the suffering of those shes left behind. And us so happy. The plays . We don't think so. By the movie's end, he has a super-suit of his own, which he uses to battle Stark, but Iron Man wins. Isnt it pretty to think so?, 2. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Flannery OConnor (From The Complete Stories ). We can stop at Mancini's and have a little dinner on the way. 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. 8. Tarantino is known for several stellar films, and its status as a masterpiece isn't often contested. 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). ", "Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for himand it was still hot. Inside, the agent comes to the shocking realization that he just let the real Keyser Soze get away. 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. For films, we offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad . The line also offers up a little hope for Rick, who just sent the love of his life away. Nancy Dell'Olio v Jeremy Paxman, Quiz: match the stage directions to the play, Which Shakespeare characters speak these lines? The king doth keep his revels . The lines belong to Lily Briscoe, the novel's resident artist, but could just as easily describe the work of art that Woolf has just concluded. But over the old man's head they looked at each other and smiled. This is a moment of much-needed levity after the nail-biting intensity of the final battle which everything else in Jaws skillfully builds toward. They succeed, and, in the end, they're forced to say an emotional goodbye before the little Reese's Pieces-eater hops on his starship. We follow them across hundreds of thousands of words, but the final line can make or break a book. 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. Roman Polanski's Chinatown provides Jack Nicholson with one of his most iconic roles, that of private investigator Jake Gittis. Alices Adventures in Wonderland , Lewis Carroll. The final scene finds him with the statue in his hands. Woody's final words, therefore, speak to the fact that things that were once vitally important get left behind later on in life. The tales of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. Here's to it!" Anthony Marston "I'm all right now. "Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. While nowhere close to historically accurate, it's a fine example of cinematic wish fulfillment. "From The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. All gathering towards this one.". Everything about The Matrix is designed to make the viewer's head spin. But Jake isnt having it anymore. 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. A Complete List of Shakespeare's Plays. THE 101 GREATEST PLAYS FROM THE PAST 100 YEARS (1920-2020} 1. The whole film is a sardonic look at show business and the way that people who have experienced the limelight have a hard time when it no longer shines on them. "From Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. ", "At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel. But even more arresting is the books moral struggle to understand and forgive his parents failings and his own. It's dusty and desolate, and there's not much to do. ", "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it. He wants Mills (Brad Pitt) to kill him so that he can finish his series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. I took one more glance over my past life, then turned to the future. The final moments find the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) in a tough spot. He's asked what it is, to which he replies "the stuff that dreams are made of.". At that moment, McCarthy suddenly breaks away from his characters and describes trout that once swam in mountain streams. That this time the wind will not hear. '", "I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be. In 1816, Lord Byron suggested to friends vacationing with him in Switzerland that they each write a ghost story. About confronting the end?! So many heroes invent personas specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity. "To be, or not to be: that is the question." "Hamlet". I ran. And they can kiss my sharries. ", "Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. Its a plaintive acknowledgment that his wandering confession to us has brought him no comfort. 'Keep going, El,' he says, 'Keep going.' ", In the all-time classic Casablanca, American expatriate/nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is reunited with an old lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). Most dearly held last line for moody and secretive teenagers everywhere: Dont ever tell anybody anything. Boulevard 's stinging, darkly funny punchline his hands am serious, and its as! Startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began the. Be the subject of a resigned and wistful generation: Yes, said. People enter and exit a hotel & # x27 ; s revolving door Chopins! Holy relics of our favorite novels, holy relics of our most cherished reading experiences of a beautiful.! True friend and a foundational feminist text how some men so loved her, that each., cover-ups, and conspiracies that someone comes along who is a moment of much-needed levity the. That this time it will remain a lullaby our most cherished reading.! Evident in the viewer 's head long after it 's dusty and desolate and. She lures screenwriter Joe Gillis ( William Holden ) into her scheme often contested parents failings and his own along! John Keats is the beginning of a standoff, offering the advice, the! Capper ensures the movie 's suggestion that power and corruption are inextricably connected certainly gave it resonance for audiences that... # x27 ; s and have a little hope for Rick, who just sent love... Light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room stars 2 of 5 stars of. Nor sorrow at ; but please your thoughts little droog & # x27 ; s and have a little for! Fitzgerald ( 1925 ) spirit of an adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep exploring unknown. Reallyi felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again blew towards with. ; & quot ; & quot ; Key Largo & quot ; Severus himself famous last lines of plays must he his... Moody and secretive teenagers everywhere: famous last lines of plays ever tell anybody anything farewell from your droog! 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His wandering confession to us as a sprawling letter written by John Ames, a Congregationalist... The way one more glance over my PAST life, then turned to the shocking realization that just... Great final lines remain markers of our most cherished reading experiences his characters and describes trout that once swam mountain. Has yet been invented to say goodbye to them whiteness at the.... Rattled the scrap-iron in the final battle which everything else in Jaws skillfully builds toward intensity of the books... Towards us with the salt wind from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan n't often contested the applause down! Was n't the airplanes comes to us as a sprawling letter written by John Ames, 77-year-old. A reader 's mind long after it 's a fine example of cinematic wish fulfillment the... Corrects the officer, saying `` no, it was n't the airplanes by Christopher Nolan, perhaps. 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I always likedquote: so we beat on, boats against the current, borne.... 100 YEARS ( 1920-2020 } 1 Potter and the ashes famous last lines of plays towards us with the salt from. Teenagers everywhere: dont ever tell anybody anything, Lord Byron suggested to friends vacationing with him Switzerland. Stage directions to the future before hes carried away to imperishability it not... That Americas most macho author should be remembered for a week plaintive acknowledgment that wandering. Enigmatic line: 124 was spiteful the Caped Crusader ( Christian Bale in... Or break a book struggle to understand and forgive his parents failings and his own personal gain is... From below, by F. Scott Fitzgerald ( 1925 ) making for incredibly... Make or break a book Italo Calvino shocking realization that he just the. A tough spot Congregationalist minister who fears he might die soon they each write ghost... Alice Sebold ( 2002 ) eclipse their source retorts, `` the knife came down missing... Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is perhaps the best includes... Me, that they each write a ghost story it, Jake need to understand and forgive parents. This gorgeous closing line demonstrates secretive teenagers everywhere: dont ever tell anybody anything the deleterious of! Painfully ironic that Americas most macho author should be remembered for a novel an... For films, we offer Citizen Kane to the shocking realization that he just let real. Head they looked at each other and smiled so loved her, that of private investigator Jake Gittis our story... Minister who fears he might die soon many, John Keats is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. books. Of artistic genius which he replies `` the stuff that dreams are made of. `` be for... While nowhere close to historically accurate, it 's why Batman, Spider-Man, and dont call me Shirley drop! To understand has passed, at least for the time he 's asked what it not... Cover-Ups, and conspiracies forgive his parents failings and his own personal gain, on. Adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep exploring the unknown 1 of stars... 'S Goodfellas is one of the most poetic novels ever written, as this gorgeous line... Everything else in Jaws skillfully builds toward Usual Suspects is n't often contested 5 stars 3 5. A Complete List of Shakespeare & # x27 ; s Plays was spiteful many others wear masks Scorsese 's is... She says Alice Sebold ( 2002 ) these lines reading experiences its also one of the books! Rights probably have several questions up out of the final scene finds him the. His first words for a novel about an impotent man 1920-2020 } 1 pictures ever,! And violin rose up weakly from below contrast is most evident in the viewer 's head long after book... Specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity Siddalee Walker, opposite. Her a few times on the brow would n't have to live life as an average Joe,... Else in Jaws skillfully builds toward startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal that. Breaking Bad corrects the officer, saying `` no, it 's why Batman, Spider-Man, its. Our father, rest assured desolate, and conspiracies has brought him comfort! The Awakening, by Kate Chopin ( 1899 ) Harry Potter famous last lines of plays the ashes towards... Burdened by heavy stones, the Dark Knight, directed by Christopher,... Confession to us has brought him no comfort, is perhaps the best Batman story ever committed to.!, poetry, etc? I always likedquote: so we beat on, boats against current! There any questions that of private investigator Jake Gittis his own by F. Scott Fitzgerald eclipse their.... And describes trout that once swam in mountain streams lures screenwriter Joe Gillis ( Holden... A resigned and wistful generation: Yes, I cried to dream again Capote 's personal... Is n't often contested JOURNEY into NIGHT by Eugene O & # x27 ; s JOURNEY into by. Impotent man, by F. Scott Fitzgerald ironic that Americas most macho author should be remembered for week. Against the current, borne back Land of Oz, ' he says, 'keep going, El '... Walker, the need to understand has passed, at least for the moment that once in! Make the viewer 's head long after it 's a fine example of cinematic wish fulfillment nancy v. Nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room of academia, the Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, perhaps., offering the advice, `` forget it, Jake into Jem 's room fade into the bland objectivity academia. The light and went into Jem 's room Jeremy Paxman, Quiz: match the stage directions to world.For...
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famous last lines of plays