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About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker recalls the last sound heard—Walter Bellhaven’s howling laughter—evoking a vivid, unsettling memory.
In plain terms
The last thing I heard was his wild laugh.
What can you take from it?
Memorable sounds can anchor a recollection.

Where it applies

  • recalling an event
  • describing a character

Putting it to work

  • use auditory details to make scenes vivid

Questions to consider

  • What does the laugh reveal about Walter?
  • How does it shape the narrator’s mood?

Another view

The description may be exaggerated for effect.

More from Phil Hendrie

  1. I have at least my own filing cabinet at the National Institute of Health, psychology division.

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  2. I'll wake up in the morning and think, 'Maybe I'll go out and catch me a twelve year old today.'

    Permalink to quote #346
  3. You never talk about your mother. Never talk about mother.

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