He suggested I play golf, but finally agreed to give me something that, he said, "would really work"; and going to a cabinet, he produced a vial of violet-blue capsules banded with dark purple at one end, which, he said, had just been placed on the market and were intended not for neurotics whom a draft of water could calm if properly administered, but only for great sleepless artists who had to die for a few hours in order to live for centuries.
In Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," a character suggests that the narrator should take up golf as a remedy, but ultimately decides to offer something more potent. This reflects the narrator's inner turmoil and the inadequacy of conventional solutions for his unique afflictions. The request for an extraordinary remedy indicates a deeper yearning for escape and clarity beyond normal means.
The character presents the narrator with a vial of striking violet-blue capsules, a new medication meant specifically for exceptional individuals, not the neurotic masses. This highlights the struggle of creative souls who often grapple with insomnia, seeking temporary respite to fuel their artistic existence. The capsules symbolize the tension between the desire for a fleeting escape and the quest for lasting creative insight.
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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!
