In Vladimir Nabokov's "Speak, Memory," the imagery evokes a significant moment where the character's descent into the wicker armchair illustrates a blend of vulnerability and emotion. The chair seems almost alive, reacting dramatically as she settles into it, suggesting a tension between human presence and inanimate objects that heightens the atmosphere.

The phrase indicates not just a physical surrender but symbolizes a deeper emotional state, revealing the character’s inner turmoil or weariness. This startling reaction from the chair, described as a "salvo of crackling," transforms an ordinary moment into something almost surreal, emphasizing Nabokov's literary style of intertwining reality with the fantastical.