Quote by Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked T
And now, these books. This. He touched PHYSIOGNOMONIE. The secrets of the individual's character as found on his face. Were Jim and Will, then, featured all angelic, pure, half-innocent, peering up through the sidewalk at marching terror? Did the boys represent the ideal for your Woman, Man, or Child of Excellent Bearing, Color, Balance, and Summer Disposition?Converserly...Charles Halloway turned a page...did the scurrying freaks, the Illustrated Marvel, bear the foreheads of the Irascible, the Cruel, the Covetous, the mouths of the Lewd and Untruthful? the teeth of the Crafty, the Unstable, the Audacious, the Vainglorious, and your Marvelous Beast?No. The book slipped shut. If faces were judged, the freaks were no worse than many he'd been slipping from the liberty late nights in his long career.There was only one thing sure.Two lines of Shakespeare said it. He should write them in the middle of the clock of books, to fix the heart of his apprehension:By the pricking of my thumbs,Something wicked this way comes.So vague yet so immense.He did not want to live with it.Yet he knew that, during this night, unless he lived with it very well, he might have to live with it for all the rest of his life.At the window he looked out and thought Jim, Will, are you coming? Will you get here?Waiting, his flesh took paleness from his bones.
Summary
This quote is a contemplation on the power of perception. The protagonist is reading a book about physiognomy, which suggests that one's character can be determined by their facial features. However, as he observes the individuals around him, he realizes that appearances can be deceiving. The quote then shifts to a moment of anxiety and anticipation, as the protagonist reflects on something wicked coming his way. The quote expresses the protagonist's desire to avoid this unknown danger and the fear of having to confront it, highlighting the tension and uncertainty in his thoughts.
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