Quote by Stephen King
She was smart and terribly determined, this girl-her will was pure steel, through and through-but she was as human as anyone else. She was lonely, too. Lonely in a way that perhaps only single girls fresh from small Midwestern towns know. Homesickness is not always a vague, nostalgic, almost beautiful emotion, although that is somehow the way we always seem to picture it in our mind. It can be a terribly keen blade, not just a sickness in metaphor but in fact as well. It can change the way one looks at the world; the faces one sees in the street look not just indifferent but ugly....perhaps even malignant. Homesickness is a real sickness- the ache of the uprooted plant.
Summary
This quote emphasizes the contradiction of the protagonist's character - on one hand, she is intelligent and determined with a strong will; on the other hand, she is human and experiences loneliness. It explores the unique sense of loneliness that single women, particularly those from small Midwestern towns, often feel. It challenges the romanticized view of homesickness, explaining that it can be a harsh feeling akin to a sharp blade, altering one's perception of the world, making it seem ugly and even hostile. It likens homesickness to an ailment, causing deep pain and longing for one's roots.
By Stephen King