"Does character develop over time? In novels of course it does: otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story. But in Life? I sometimes wonder.
Our attitudes and opinions change, we develop new habits and eccentricities: but that's something different, more like decoration. Perhaps character resembles intelligence, except that the character peaks a little later: between twenty and thirty say. And after that we are just stuck with what we've got. We're on our own.
If so, that would explain a lot of lives, wouldn't it? And also - if it isn't too grand a word - our tragedy."
- "The Sense of an Ending", Julian Barnes
No comments:
Post a Comment