Apr 22, 2015 08:11
9 yrs ago
English term

army of harlot bottles

English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
He always has the same drink, his breakfast drink, but still it's like Christmas morning every time he walks in and sits down. Or it's like a candy store. It's like all the wonderful being-a-kid memories that he can recall, the good, the bad, and the easy. Make a wish, and your army of harlot bottles will respond. It is an unrestricted arena of choices;it makes what he gets,what he always gets,that much more attractive.
It is a text from Leaving Las Vegas and he is a drunk.
Change log

Apr 22, 2015 08:11: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"

Responses

+6
9 mins
Selected

the choice of drinks (always/readily) available (at the bar?)

The choice is always there, and readily available (provided he pays, presumably -- which enhances the 'harlot' analogy) -- he can get what he wants, every time, it's reliable and real, his needs (as he perceives them, being an alcoholic) can be fulfilled; just like a prostitute offers a straightforward satisfaction of sexual desires, so the booze offers a straightforward satisfaction of his craving for alcohol.
Peer comment(s):

agree Terry Richards : Yes, the bottles, like the prostitutes, will do what he wants as long as he pays them.
3 mins
Thank you, Terry. I do wonder why an army is more satisfying than one even if he always chooses the same, but on some irrational level it makes (delirious) sense.
agree Yvonne Gallagher : it's like a candy store for a kid having this array to choose from
13 mins
agree Charles Davis : I think the points to emphasise here, apart from what you've said, are that "army" suggests exhilarating multiplicity as well as strength in numbers, and "harlot" suggests seductive, meretricious garishness: cheap, bright colours, leading you astray.
41 mins
Yes, this makes sense - I like the idea of exhilarating multiplicity.
agree Carol Gullidge : good explanation for the metaphor!
59 mins
thanks, Carol
agree George Rabel
4 hrs
agree Phong Le
6 days
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
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