A white plate with silver cutlery rests on a small circular bed of gravel against a blue-grey background.

Original artwork, not a still

William Faulkner

Why that’s a hundred miles away. That’s a long way to go just to eat.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker judges a journey by its distance and its simple purpose: eating. A hundred miles seems excessive when put that way. The plain response makes the trip sound impractical without telling us what else might make the invitation attractive.

Context reviewed

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