I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was - I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room I'd never seen, hearing the hiss of steam outside, and the creak of the old wood of the hotel, and footsteps upstairs, and all the sad sounds, and I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds. I wasn't scared; I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost. Jack Kerouac
About This Quote

The quote, “I woke up as the sun was reddening” has a couple of meanings. One meaning is that the character in the story has awoken in their hotel room to find that it is already day. This means that the character has slept through all of their previous days and night. This would be an incredibly sad situation.

The other meaning is that the character's world is rising up before them like the sun rising in the sky. The change in perspective is something very different. It is like seeing everything for the first time, like seeing someone for the very first time, like waking up after experiencing a dream.

Source: On The Road

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe
  2. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey
  3. This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like... - Marilyn Monroe
  4. When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable. - Jess C. Scott
  5. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears." After all this time?"" Always, " said Snape. - J.k. Rowling
More Quotes By Jack Kerouac
  1. Down on the lake rosy reflections of celestial vapor appeared, and I said, "God, I love you" and looked to the sky and really meant it. "I have fallen in love with you, God. Take care of us all, one way or the other." To...
  2. And the story of love is a long sad tale ending in graves.
  3. A pain stabbed my heart, as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world.
  4. I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was - I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap...
  5. Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life
Related Topics