I've had a profession for a number of years, and it has mastered me. A profession is like a great snake that wraps itself around you. Once you are enwrapped, you are in a slow fight for the rest of your life, and the lightness of youth leaves you. You don't have time, for example, to think about the city even as you are walking through it.
In Mark Helprin's "A Soldier of the Great War," the quote illustrates the idea that a profession can become all-consuming, resembling a great snake that wraps around an individual. This metaphor reflects the struggle of being entrapped by one's career, suggesting that it dictates the individual's thoughts and actions, leaving little room for other experiences.
The passage further emphasizes how this entrapment leads to a loss of youthful freedom and vitality. The speaker indicates that even during everyday activities, like walking through a city, one's profession imposes a constraint that prevents deeper contemplation or enjoyment of life, highlighting the weight of professional obligations.
