he..said..in the oratory to which he was prone that they had witnessed a thing against which time would not prevail. He meant a thing to be remembered, but the young apostate by the rail at his elbow had already begun to sicken at the slow seeping of life. He could see the shape of the skull through the old man's flesh. Hear sand in the glass. Lives running out like something foul, night-soil from a cesspipe, a measured dripping in the dark. The clock has run, the horse has run, and which has measured which?
In Cormac McCarthy's "Suttree," a character reflects on the inevitability of time and decay, emphasizing the enduring nature of certain experiences. He expresses a sentiment that what they have witnessed will remain significant despite the ravages of time. This contemplative attitude clashes with the despair felt by a younger observer beside him who is grappling with the stark reality of life's decline. The youth is disturbed by the visible signs of aging and the metaphorical draining of life.
The imagery used by McCarthy illustrates a bleak view of existence, as the comparison of life to "night-soil from a cesspipe" evokes a sense of repulsion and futility. The young man's realization that life is fleeting and in decline sharply contrasts with the older man's philosophical musings. The ticking clock symbolizes the relentless passage of time, leading to the contemplation of what truly measures existence—the life lived or the passage of time itself.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
