For if Jack Buggit could escape from the pickle jar, if a bird with a broken neck could fly away, what else might be possible? Water may be older than light, diamonds crack in hot goat's blood, mountaintops give off cold fire, forests appear in mid-ocean, it may happen that a crab is caught with the shadow of a hand on its back, and that the wind be imprisoned in a bit of knotted string. And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery.
The quote from Annie Proulx's "The Shipping News" evokes a sense of wonder and possibility. It suggests that if something as odd as a creature like Jack Buggit can escape a jar or a bird defies its injuries, then extraordinary feats are within the realm of possibility. The imagery of nature behaving unexpectedly—like diamonds in unusual contexts, or mountains emitting cold fire—invites the reader to see beyond the ordinary and embrace the miraculous aspects of existence.
Moreover, the mention of love occurring without suffering challenges the conventional idea that positive emotions must come hand-in-hand with pain. This thought encourages the belief that joy and fulfillment can exist independently, highlighting the complexities of life and the beauty that can arise from it. Proulx's words inspire an appreciation for the unpredictability of life and the potential for positivity amid chaos.
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