The Persistence of Desire

Updike, The Persistence of Desire
Page 570.

“He tucked the note back into his shirt pocket and its stiffness there made a shield for his heart.”


In this quote, the narrator is not talking about the piece of paper being an actual shield for his heart. It is a shield from the world. It keeps his heart strongly in love with Janet, no matter what. The interesting part about this is that he cannot even read the note, but just seeing the handwriting makes his love for Janet all the more deep and strong.



Updike, The Persistence of Desire
Page 561.

“ On the sidewalk. Haltered girls identical in all but name with girls he had known strolled by in twos and threes”


In this quote, Clyde is observing people out the window of the eye-doctors. He says that all of the girls look identical, meaning that there is a certain way that girls are supposed to look. None of then has any personal style or class. The only thing that separates then is there names.