You know where I'm from, he said, and she understood what he meant by this. Once we lived on an island in the ocean. Once we took the ferry to go to high school, and at night the sky was brilliant in the absence of all these city lights. Once we paddled canoes to the lighthouse to look at petroglyphs and fished for salmon and walked through deep forests, but all of this was completely unremarkable because everyone else we knew did these things too, and here in these lives we've built for ourselves, here in these hard and glittering cities, none of this would seem real if it wasn't for you.
In Station Eleven, a character reflects on their shared past with another person, highlighting the beauty and simplicity of their island life. They reminisce about their childhood, taking ferries to school, enjoying breathtaking night skies, and engaging in activities like fishing and exploring nature. These memories carry a sense of nostalgia but also reveal how ordinary they felt at the time, as everyone around them experienced similar joys.
Now, living in bustling cities, those memories take on a new significance. The character acknowledges that the vibrant city life lacks the authenticity of their earlier experiences. There is a profound connection between the characters; their shared history brings meaning to their current lives, allowing them to find reality amidst the artificiality of urban existence.
