...what makes you older is when your bones, muscles and blood wear out, when the heart sinks into oblivion and all the houses you ever lived in are gone and people are not really certain that your civilization ever existed.
In Richard Brautigan's "The Tokyo-Montana Express," aging is portrayed not solely as a matter of years but as a deterioration of the physical body. The essence of growing older is linked to the decline of the body's fundamental components like bones, muscles, and blood, which reflects the inevitable wear that comes with time. This decay signifies a deeper loss, where the vibrancy of life and memory begins to fade away.
The passage evokes a sense of existential reflection, where one's existence becomes uncertain as memories of homes and the presence of people dissolve. It portrays aging as a melancholic transition into oblivion, where the legacy of a civilization may ultimately be forgotten. This perspective invites readers to contemplate their own mortality and the transient nature of life and civilization.
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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!
