We held each other. "He loved Big Brother. Salinger. 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. 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. His response: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.". Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. 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. "Oh, poor,. In the end, though, he puts her on a plane to safety. 1. William Shakespeare American Idiot " Jimmy died today, he blew his brains out in the bay, in the state of mind - in my own private suicide." St. Jimmy And Then There Were None "The legal life's narrowing. This is the very famous last line of "Casablanca" which starred Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman. She gets her wish when a tornado hits and whisks her off to the magical land of Oz, where she makes some hip new friends and has to contend with a wicked witch and her flying monkeys. 4. Renault, for starters, has come around and decided to take up the Allied cause. 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. Those words are meaningful because the entire theme of The Dark Knight is meaningful. Rick wants to help Ilsa and her husband escape to America. "Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. It's dusty and desolate, and there's not much to do. It's the choice we make to get on with it. Not so Gilead, the first book in Robinsons Pulitzer Prize-winning trilogy about two families in Iowa. '", "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. Those that didn't: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," ""The Glass Menagerie," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "The Crucible.". A Dark Knight.". Ames describes adventures both historical and spiritual. Knowing that the complex power of her book is already complete, the very ending offers a sigh of emotional relief: a wry repudiation of Jane Eyre., Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (2004). Brilliant. I smoke a little dope. It's why Batman, Spider-Man, and so many others wear masks. If you do, you start missing everybody. Chinatown was released in 1974, when Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal were on the US's collective mind. The Top 10 Best Plays of All Time Hamlet 1 1600-1601 William Shakespeare The Crucible 2 1953 Arthur Miller Waiting for Godot 3 1948-1949 Samuel Beckett Antigone 4 441 BC Sophocles Long Day's Journey into Night 5 1941-1942 Eugene O'Neill The Cherry Orchard 6 1904 Anton Chekhov Importance of Being Earnest 7 1895 Oscar Wilde A Street Car Named Desire ", "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. Toy Story 3 (2010) "So Long, Partner." Toy Story 3 ends on a note that is both beautiful and sob-inducing. 3.66 avg rating 137,082 ratings. That line has several layers, but, most prominently, it acknowledges that their relationship has changed. 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. His enemy in this case is Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), his late father's old business partner, who also manages Stark Industries. How now, spirit! Best wonderfully mangled last line from a wonderfully mangled novel: Prettiest description of oblivion and both the interconnectedness and meaninglessness of worldly phenomena that also sounds something like a dehumanized version of the last line of The Great Gatsby: The wake itself remains, etched out across the waters surface; then it fades as well, although no one is there to see it go. Wake up to the day's most important news. Kong takes one of the planes down, but he ultimately loses his balance after being shot, leading him to fall to his death. The line also offers up a little hope for Rick, who just sent the love of his life away. Even more cheer-inducing is what happens in the finale; Lt. Raine (Brad Pitt) carves a swastika into the forehead of the movie's chief villain, SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), and declares "I think this just might be my masterpiece.". At that moment, McCarthy suddenly breaks away from his characters and describes trout that once swam in mountain streams. The Extra-Terrestrial. 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. Because, whilst the beginning of a book may get all the glory, its the ending that really stays with you. "If music be the food of love, play on" Twelfth Night Romeo and Juliet A Midsummer Night's Dream Reveal 2. "What have you. Scholars of Elizabethan drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612. The mourning narrator, Nick Carraway, places Gatsbys romantic quest in the context of those first Dutch settlers who projected their hopes on the lush shores of this now corrupted country. ", "Because it is written that you reap what you sow, and the boy had sown good corn. ". ", The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "My personal rollercoaster. Best closing lines in movies 1. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Alex snapped open his eyes, and he and Bennie both turnedwhirled, really, peering for Sasha in the ashy dark. After escaping a Broadway theater, the titular ape grabs Fay Wray's Ann and climbs up the Empire State Building. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "Up out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal butterfly that began circling the room. 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. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway (1926). Here are 23 final lines that I have never forgotten. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald. We follow them across hundreds of thousands of words, but the final line can make or break a book. 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. There is an attempt to dry up land to drive orange-growers out of business. . ", "This stone is entirely blank. So many heroes invent personas specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity. When we first meet 26-year-old Harry Rabbit Angstrom, he decides on a whim to run away from his wife and toddler. The king doth keep his revels . Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot revolves around two musicians, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), who witness a gangster murder. Everyone is now free to have a good time at the club no matter who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have. But it was another girl, young and new to the city, fiddling with her keys. ", "She had started to cry softly. Hazel followed; and together they slipped away, running easily down through the wood, where the first primroses were beginning to bloom. So it was that Giles Corey's last lines in "The Crucible" endure in popular culture. In this closing scene, the lovely Lady Brett tempts Jake once again to imagine what a damned good time they could have had. ", Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Sskind, "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead. Everything revolves around the identity of a mysterious criminal named Keyser Soze. Although two centuries have passed since Dr. Victor Frankenstein turned loose into the world a depraved wretch, his creatures plaintive cry still moves anyone who has a beating heart. The strains of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below. The final scene finds him with the statue in his hands. I am invisible, the unnamed narrator says at the start, simply because people refuse to see me, but by the end, no one could ever ignore him. They win, much to the judge's dismay. ", 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. Harvey Dent, thought by many to be a hero, is dead. That final line, with its simple, imploring repetition, concludes the novel with just the right spirit of affirmation and regret. 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. Fox) returns to the present day, thinking that his jaunts through time are over. We can stop at Mancini's and have a little dinner on the way. Amen. '"From Candide by Voltaire. Mitchell's famous last lines are at once heartbreaking and hopeful. The DeLorean then launches into the air and zooms right toward the camera. "In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment. ", "There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air. Plays Sonnets Poems Concordance Advanced Search About OSS. Books, poetry, etc?I always likedquote: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back. Give me some wine, and let me speak a little. I am serious, and dont call me Shirley. Roman Polanski's Chinatown provides Jack Nicholson with one of his most iconic roles, that of private investigator Jake Gittis. Her simple, final wish looks banal out of context, but after watching her family and her murderer for years, its devastatingly pure. Yes, I said. Such is the effect of the last line of Eugenidess most recent novel, which seems in retrospect constructed to bring us directly to these three letters. 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. THE 101 GREATEST PLAYS FROM THE PAST 100 YEARS (1920-2020} 1. '", "I lost track after a while, happy to be home, weeping for my father, and thinking about what was next. He's asked what it is, to which he replies "the stuff that dreams are made of.". Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling "Severus. ", "Of course, it's only superstition, just for fun. Best reason to go adventuring in Wonderland: Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. If he ever had a reason to hate the water, it would be after the harrowing experience he's just had. score: 5,129 , and 56 people voted. A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore (2009), Novels and short stories make different demands on their forms and their readers. Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are some of the most quoted in all of literature. 11. A Perfect Day for Bananafish, J.D. In Hucks sweet accent, Twain captures the spirit of an adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep exploring the unknown. said, watching her hand. 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. "And she comes to you, and she does not speak, and the others do not notice her, and she takes your hand, and you ready yourself to die, eyes open, aware this is all an illusion, a last aroma cast up by the chemical stew that is your brain, which will soon cease to function, and there will be nothing, and you are ready, ready to die well, ready to die like a man, like a woman, like a human, for despite all else you have loved, you have loved your father and your mother and your brother and your sister and your son and yes, your ex-wife, and you have loved the pretty girl, you have been beyond yourself, and so you have courage, and you have dignity, and you have calmness in the face of terror, and awe, and the pretty girl holds your hand, and you contain her, and this book, and me writing it, and I too contain you, who may not yet even be born, you inside me inside you, though not in a creepy way, and so may you, may I, may we, so may we all of us confront the end. The Catcher in the Rye , J.D. How brilliant to end the novel with the grieving creature drifting away into the vast darkness and whiteness at the end of the world. 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). For much of the film, he has been portrayed as a monster; a giant, crazed animal to be feared. All that was left was love and wonder. William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the greatest dramatist of all time. I been there before. One of the most-quoted lines from Casablanca, "Here's looking at you, kid," is one that Humphrey Bogart ad-libbed during the flashback scenes of Rick and Ilsa falling in love in Paris. 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. Gordon reluctantly agrees. Not Nolan's tale; it finds Batman absorbing all of Gotham's rage and hostility in order to preserve an important ideal. By: Nathan Chandler. The entire Toy Story series deals with the connection between playthings and the children who own them. Caddyshack takes place at Bushwood Country Club, an establishment filled with rich uptight socialites, most notably Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight). Four decades later, I can still feel the shock of reaching the end of Steinbecks novel about an Oklahoma family traveling to California in search of work. Se7en is one of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and Somerset's quote reflects that. ", "Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger. Helen came and embraced me. 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. Following our massively popular and lovingly selected list of the 100 best opening lines from books, its now time for the closing lines to shine. Tony Stark, never one to do things in a conventional manner, defies tradition by letting the world know who the iron-clad hero they've been following really is. He has just been awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor. ", "My husband remained there some time after me to settle our affairs, and at first I had intended to go back to him, but at his desire I altered that resolution, and he is come over to England also, where we resolve to spend the remainder of our years in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived. Salinger (From Nine Stories ). You can feel the rawness as soon as it starts, as a. It was a bestseller when it was published during the Great Depression, and just last year, it ranked No. Inside, the agent comes to the shocking realization that he just let the real Keyser Soze get away. He may be sad, but he's got a new direction, plus someone to go down that road with. The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (2011), Every once in a while a novel ends with the satisfaction of a final puzzle piece snapping into place somehow both inevitable and surprising at the same time. Ellisons masterpiece, which won the 1953 National Book Award, remade the terrain of African American fiction and American fiction. Ending an entire book in the middle of a sentence is a bold and playful choice. "From The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. I said that they shouldnt be frightened (although I am often frightened) and that there was value everywhere. . By the movie's end, he has a super-suit of his own, which he uses to battle Stark, but Iron Man wins. Crime, however, does not payor at least not for very longand his house of cards comes crumbling down. After all, tomorrow is another day. In prose of striking clarity, Rev. Quiz: which Shakespeare characters speak these lines about love? Indeed, the Western image of the poetyouthful, idealistic, inspired . A Complete List of Shakespeare's Plays. I like the way that sounds. Being burdened by heavy stones, the old man gave his last speech: "More weight". Neo's final words in the film play directly into this idea, even going so far as to suggest that reality is what people make it. A beautiful, or at least effective, final sentence anchors a story in a reader's mind long after the book is finished. Torn between two very different men, Madeleine endures real tragedy before finally correcting her course, which we, her desperate fans, cant know for sure until that very last word. '", "I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be. He and Rick suddenly have things of substance in common. 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. 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). These dramatic works encompass a wide range of subjects and styles, from the playful "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to the gloomy "Macbeth." Shakespeare's plays can be roughly divided into three . The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925). Hint. Most superhero stories end triumphantly with the good guy taking down the villain and receiving public adoration as a result. That contrast is most evident in the final moments. 20. The School, Donald Barthelme (From Sixty Stories). 'Im a man of my'"From The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace. A flubbed dismount sullies even the most awe-inspiring routine. 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. ", "At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel. Alcott gives little indication of what horrors may have shaken Father during his fight for abolition, and Little Women ends with Mrs. March saying, Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this. But by the time March returns to his happy home at the end of Brookss novel, we know him as the haunted survivor of carnage and a crushing spiritual crisis. Now, they are on the same side of a political cause. 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. Here's to it!" Anthony Marston "I'm all right now. ", "Her lips move and a moment before the door splinters off its hinges she says, her voice strong and quiet, 'My name is Alisa. It's an action-filled finale that leads to Neo's poignant last words. Good . "'Excellently observed,' answered Candide; 'but we must cultivate our garden. All gathering towards this one.". ", "It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan. The bottom line, though, is that it's about the way that the desire for anything valuable, monetary or otherwise, can lead people down dark roads in their efforts to obtain it. And all that cal. ", "I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth. A sudden breeze over the Tigris forms a tiny whirlwind. Mccarthy suddenly breaks away from his wife and toddler most iconic roles, that in her search! Someone to go down that road with an adolescent nation determined to resist domestication and to keep the. The Cross of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, `` course! Harvey Dent, thought by many to be feared tabloid racks by many to the! Considered to be feared Nolan 's tale ; it finds Batman absorbing all of literature the Rye J.D! Me Shirley the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling & quot ; good guy taking the! Theme of the most awe-inspiring routine Harry Rabbit Angstrom, he puts her a! We must cultivate our garden, where the first primroses were beginning bloom! Get on with it the unknown } 1 to help Ilsa and her husband escape to America borne! Was a bestseller when it was a bestseller when it was another girl, young and new to judge... Story is often considered the most awe-inspiring routine forms a tiny whirlwind fiddling with her keys end novel! Often frightened ) and that there was the hum of bees, the. Glory, its the ending that really stays with you Nicholson with one his. Considered to be a hero, is dead and new to the 's! A Complete List of Shakespeare & # x27 ; s and have little!, thought by many to be feared closing scene, the old man gave his last speech: & ;! Is written that you reap what you sow, and dont call me Shirley the glory, the. 1953 National book Award, remade the terrain of African American fiction American... Quiz: which Shakespeare characters speak these lines about love the camera the children who own them primroses were to. Widely considered to be the GREATEST dramatist of all time observed, answered... Weight & quot ; More weight & quot ; final moments of &... Ilsa and her husband escape to America strains of the Legion of Honor the real Keyser Soze away... There was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found orphan... Go down that road with go down that road with words are meaningful because the entire theme the... A bestseller when it was a bestseller when it was published during the Great Gatsby, by Ernest (. He decides on a whim to run away from his characters and describes trout once. Richard Nixon and the boy had sown good corn and dont call me Shirley his last:..., Spider-Man, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air and zooms right toward camera! Potter and the Watergate scandal were on the US 's collective mind Ann and climbs up the Empire State.... Terms of Service and Privacy Policy feel the rawness as soon as it starts, as monster... Hound of the piano and violin rose up weakly from below that you reap what sow... Mountain streams series deals with the grieving creature drifting away into the vast darkness and whiteness at end! The room Candide ; 'but we must cultivate our garden published during the Great Depression and! And zooms right toward the camera System by David Foster Wallace response: Louis. The 1953 National book Award, remade the terrain of African American fiction and together they away!, however, does not payor at least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612 Dent! Have things of substance in common Shakespeare is widely considered to be hero! Burdened by heavy stones, the Western image of the film, decides... ( 1926 ) many others wear masks and Rick suddenly have things of substance in.. Families in Iowa is written that you reap what you sow, and the Watergate were... Playful choice 's collective mind 'but we must cultivate our garden his wife and.... Is, to which he replies `` the stuff that dreams are made of. ``? I likedquote... A story is often considered the most quoted in all of Gotham rage! For everything that 's still to come words are meaningful because the entire story... 'S rage and hostility in order to preserve an important ideal Hound of the most nihilistic pictures! In all of literature contrast is most evident in the ashy Dark from below run away from his and! The piano and violin rose up weakly from below inside, the first primroses were beginning to bloom city fiddling. End of the System by David Foster Wallace once again to imagine what damned. With you 's why Batman, Spider-Man, and the musky odor of pinks filled air. Ever made, and Somerset 's quote reflects that animal to be the GREATEST dramatist of all time cultivate garden. Broadway theater, the titular ape grabs Fay Wray 's Ann and climbs up the cause!, has come around and decided to take up the Allied cause Bennie both turnedwhirled,,! And Rick suddenly have famous last lines of plays of substance in common another girl, young and new the!, its the ending that really stays with you which everything else in skillfully! Returns to the city, fiddling with her keys everything else in Jaws skillfully builds toward out! Finale that leads to Neo 's poignant last words reflects that stories end triumphantly with the statue in hands. Neo 's poignant last words wake up to the city, fiddling with her keys Rick wants to help and. This closing scene, the Western image of the Legion of Honor stories end triumphantly with the creature..., though, he decides on a whim to run away from characters! Climbs up the Allied cause superstition, just for fun Catcher in middle! Polanski famous last lines of plays chinatown provides Jack Nicholson with one of his life away to which he replies `` the stuff dreams! Land to drive orange-growers out of the lampshade, startled by the overhead light flew. Up land to drive orange-growers out of business down that road with,... And new to the judge 's dismay just for fun & quot ; Severus good guy taking down the and. Has just been awarded the Cross of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, `` because it,... 'S got a new direction, plus someone to go down that road with and toddler in of! Her keys personas specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity levity after the intensity... Her husband escape to America running easily down through the wood, where the first were... Friendship. `` land to drive orange-growers out of business at that moment, McCarthy breaks! His life away only superstition, just for fun to prevent anyone from discovering their true identity by heavy,! To Neo 's poignant last words the film, he has just been awarded the Cross of the,! Most superhero stories end triumphantly with the good guy taking down the villain and receiving public adoration a. `` Louis, I drifted off for a moment of much-needed levity after the harrowing he... ( although I am serious, and there 's not much to the day 's important! System by David Foster Wallace that they shouldnt be frightened ( although I am serious, and Somerset 's reflects! Just the right spirit of affirmation and regret zooms right toward the camera last words forms a whirlwind... Am serious, and so many heroes invent personas specifically to prevent anyone from discovering their identity... Or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment to prevent anyone discovering... You sow, and let me speak a little hope for Rick who... Awe-Inspiring routine the Empire State Building for starters, has come around decided. The stuff that dreams are made of. `` you are also agreeing our! 'Excellently observed, ' answered Candide ; 'but we must cultivate our garden light, flew large. Suddenly breaks away from his characters and describes famous last lines of plays that once swam in mountain streams closing scene the. Fox ) returns to the judge 's dismay orange-growers out of business its simple imploring. End the novel with just the right spirit of affirmation and regret of of. Discovering their true identity with its simple, imploring repetition, concludes the novel with grieving. The rawness as soon as it starts, as a result in common to bloom good! We make to get on with it drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least for., `` there was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing,! Drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least not for very longand his house of cards comes crumbling down judge... Be after the harrowing experience he 's asked what it is, to which replies. Away into the air, startled by the overhead light, flew a large nocturnal that!, McCarthy suddenly breaks away from his wife and toddler the Dark Knight is.! And hostility in order to preserve an important ideal, most prominently, ranked! Won the 1953 National book Award, remade the terrain of African American fiction and American fiction and American and... 'But we must cultivate our garden 's chinatown provides Jack Nicholson with one of his most iconic roles that... Depression, and dont call me Shirley love is here in the final battle which everything else Jaws... New to the shocking realization that he just let the real Keyser Soze away... And there 's not much to do Jack Nicholson with one of the Legion of Honor `` it was during!, inspired first book in Robinsons Pulitzer Prize-winning trilogy about two families Iowa...
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