Exhalation

“Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough”

One of the most important quotes in the collection, it concludes the first story and establishes a message that resonates throughout many of the other stories. Fuwaad literally calls it “the most precious knowledge I know” (36). Fuwaad, Hassan, Ajib, and Raniya, all grapple with some form of guilt. While not all the characters achieve an idealistic “happy” ending, each of them achieves a sense of closure, further driving home the importance of forgiveness for Chiang.  

“The Universe began as an enormous breath being held. Who knows why, but whatever the reason, I am glad that it did, because I owe my existence to that fact. All my desires and ruminations are no more and no less than eddy currents generated by the gradual exhalation of our universe. And until this great exhalation is finished, my thoughts live on.” 

A key passage, it emphasizes a central theme in the collection; what matters most is not how life came to be, but how we choose to spend our lives. By representing the creation of existence as the exhalation of a breath, Chiang is also seamlessly utilizing the motifs of air and breathing already established earlier in the story to build upon this theme. 

“Though I am long dead as you read this, explorer, I offer to you a valediction. Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so. I feel I have the right to tell you this because, as I am inscribing these words, I am doing the same.” 

Chiang concludes the final passage of his title story with a powerful endnote: a call to appreciate the miracle of life. Like the final lines of the first story, this message remains at the core of the entire collection. While “Exhalation” tells a sad story about the inevitable death we must all face, the narrator relishes that we’re is able to appreciate life to begin with. Similar sentiments appear in the warning of “What’s Expected of Us,” the parrot narrator in “The Great Silence,” and Dorothea’s spiritual journey in “Omphalos.” 

“Civilization now depends on self-deception. Perhaps it always has.” 

This quote can be read with sardonic wit, a cynical observation of humanity’s willingness to accept lies as truth. There is also a dark humor in that the narrator wants readers to willingly deceive themselves. Most importantly, the quote is thought-provoking and relevant, even out of context to the rest of the story.mouse

“They’re blind to a simple truth: complex minds can’t develop on their own.” 

A central tenant of Chiang’s objective with the story, this passage embodies his opinion as a writer through the perspective of the story’s main character, Ana. The question itself is an invigorating and complex one. Technology generally expedites processes, but by desiring to create something more complex, we are also taking on more responsibility. 

“My life might be simpler if I didn’t have you to take care of, but it wouldn’t be as happy. I love you, Jax.”

A pivotal moment for Ana, this is the first time she outwardly states her love for Jax, an artificial intelligence. Her words are not unlike those of many parents, and her sincerity in saying them to Jax shows Ana is fully committed to raising Jax as a complex mind and not treating him as a simple technology or product. 

“A few minutes pass, and Ana tells herself to stop daydreaming. There’s no guarantee that Jax is capable of any of those things. But if he’s ever going to get the chance to try them, she has to get on with the job in front her now: teaching him, as best she can, the business of living.” 

Another key moment for Ana, the quote comes near the very end of the story and demonstrates her completed character arc. Ana doesn’t want to raise Jax with any sort of objective. Rather, she wants to let him decide for himself. She is not only a parent, but a compassionate and loving one, exemplifying values reiterated by Chiang throughout the collection. 

“He struggled visibly to contain his emotion at seeing what he had wrought in pursuit of his father’s vision: a child so wedded to machines that he could not acknowledge another human being.” 

This is Lionel Dacey’s moment of epiphany. Up to this point, he has served the role of the villain in the story, abandoning Edmund and blaming his deficiencies on Edmund’s mother. By actually seeing the consequences of his actions, Lionel begins his path of repentance and atonement. The quote is also relevant to today’s world, in which children are raised with technology. 

“Anyone who has wasted hours surfing the Internet knows that technology can encourage bad habits.”

A simple quote, but nevertheless an important one to remember. Chiang often employs these life-advice quotes in a way that suits the story, while also writing the sentence in such a way that it can be equally effective on its own. In doing this, Chiang comments on potential futures, as well as the present. The internet and bad habits are not only relevant to the characters in “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” but very relevant to the modern reader as well.  

“‘Forgive and forget’ goes the expression, and for our idealized magnanimous selves, that is all you needed. But for our actual selves the relationship between those two actions isn’t so straightforward. In most cases we have to forget a little bit before we can forgive; when we no longer experience the pain as fresh, the insult is easier to forgive, which in turn makes it less memorable, and so on. It’s this psychological feedback loop that makes initially infuriating offenses seem pardonable in the mirror of hindsight.”

Forgiveness becomes particularly complex in the case of “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling.” This passage represents the narrator’s initial opinion of forgiveness, and it sounds reasonable. His worldview is shattered, however, when he learns he has misremembered his fight with Nicole. Forgetting has actually tarnished his ability to receive forgiveness from his daughter. We see that the narrator is a reasonable person, but he is still capable of making fatal mistakes, making him a complex character and an engaging mediation on forgiveness. 

“You’re the reason she left! You drove her away! You can leave, too, for all I care. I sure as hell would be better off without you.”

Words that the narrator of the story has never forgotten, even over a decade later. Sadly, they were his words, not Nicole’s. The words are impactful and dramatic, and we can see why the narrator wouldn’t forget them. The quote also allows readers to first sympathize with the narrator, and then disagree with him, all with the same set of words. The quote is also ambiguous enough that the plot twist of them coming from the narrator himself works well. 

“You be good. I love you.”

A simple but powerful passage, the quotation is the final words of Alex the African gray parrot and becomes the message that all parrots attempt to give humans as their species goes extinct. It likewise echoes the final passage’s tone in “Exhalation.” Chiang again portrays a character coming to terms with their own death, who nevertheless encourages the reader to be positive. As the extinction of parrots is manmade, the advice for humans to “be good” may be a call to change our ecological footprint, thereby addressing the contemporary climate crisis and saving countless species.

“It’s no coincidence that ‘aspiration’ means both hope and the act of breathing. When we speak, we use the breath in our lungs to give thoughts a physical form. The sounds we make are simultaneously our intentions and our life force. I speak, therefore I am. Vocal learners, like parrots and humans, are perhaps the only ones who fully comprehend the truth of this.” 

This quote offers a great example of the parallels Chiang establishes between humans and parrots. The story makes parrots and humans seem more alike than different. By informing the reader that parrots are vocal learners like humans, that they too speak to give their hopes and thoughts a physical form, we see ourselves more in the parrots, making their manmade extinction all the more tragic. Hope and breathing are also motifs found in other stories, such as “Exhalation,” and “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling.” 

“Human activity has brought my kind to the brink of extinction, but I don’t blame them for it. They didn’t do it maliciously. They just weren’t paying attention.”

In keeping with the tone of the collection, Chiang avoids anger and bitterness. Instead, the parrot’s acceptance of humanity’s behavior is melancholic, which is tragic because people could have prevented it if only they had been a little more observant. Without having to lecture the reader, the quote is encouraging us to pay better attention moving forward. 

“The past has left its traces on the world, and we only have to know how to read them.”

The past plays an important role in “Omphalos,” as Dorothea begins the story certain the earth is very young, only to have that called into question, dramatically impacting her. The author presents her quest to “read” the past in her studying of tree trunks and fossils. Interestingly, the quote is relevant to other stories in the collection as well. The characters in “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” grapple with the past in various ways. Their “readings” of the past often involve coming to terms with their fates and learning to forgive and repent. The same can be said for Dana and Nat in “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” and the narrator of “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling.” 

“I told them that our means of navigation is scientific inquiry. And, I said, this is why I am a scientist: because I wish to discover your purpose for us, Lord.” 

This passage offers an interesting subversion of how we typically see scientific inquiry today. The quote succinctly establishes Dorothea’s personal goals and shows readers how she is unlike most scientists in our world. The quote is also an ironic foreshadowing, as it is this very pursuit of discovering God’s purpose that leads Dorothea to consider that the Lord has no purpose for her.  

“‘Science is not just the search for the truth,’ he said. ‘It’s the search for purpose.’” 

Again, we see Chiang is able to skillfully achieve two objectives at once: create a meaningful moment for the character in a story and give readers a passage that can be appreciated on its own. Both in Dorothea’s world and ours, scientific discoveries are constantly changing the way we see the world. Additionally, not only do our discoveries change what we perceive as the truth, but science also changes the purpose we imbue our lives with. 

“While each of us must find our way forward through this forest of doubt, it is only with the support of others that we’ll be able to do so.”

Hopeful words from Dorothea to her sister, Rosemary, and relevant words for the collection. While Dorothea spends most of the story praying to God, here she is writing a message to another person. By reaching out, Dorothea acknowledges she can’t get through her crisis of faith alone. Nat experiences a similar arc in “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom” when she attends an NA meeting, seeking a healthy communal environment. 

“But the moment of creation is where all causal chains end; inference can lead us back to this moment and no further. That is why the creation of the universe is a miracle: because what happened in that moment was not a necessary consequence of what preceded it.” 

This quote comes toward the end of “Omphalos.” Even though Dorothea’s faith is shaken, she still sees life as a miracle, suggesting she is reevaluating her faith, as opposed to outright abandoning it. In describing the universe as a miracle, Chiang is also connecting this story to earlier stories, particularly “Exhalation.” By placing “Exhalation” toward the beginning of the collection, and “Omphalos” toward the end (it is second to last), Chiang is reinforcing his message that life is miraculous and still a mystery, and that’s okay. 

“Free will is a kind of miracle; when we make a genuine choice, we bring about a result that cannot be reduced to the workings of physical law. Every act of volition is, like the creation of the universe, a first cause.” 

Again, Chiang is repurposing ideas tackled in earlier stories. Free will is at the center of “What’s Expected of Us,” and plays an important role in “Omphalos” as well. The author extrapolates upon free will, and genuine choices again in the “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom,” which succeeds “Omphalos” and concludes the collection. Chiang’s themes are focused, and he uses his stories to circle around them, asking different questions. 

“Even if humanity is not the reason for which the universe was made, I still wish to understand the way it operates. We human beings may not be the answer to the question why, but I will keep looking for the answer to how.” 

Dorothea has fought through the worst of her loss of faith and has come out the other side with a new outlook on life. Her goal of scientific inquiry is also largely the same. She is still able to search for purpose; it will just be more tied to her own personhood instead of the Lord’s. In doing so, Dorothea completes her character arc; her faith is tested as a result of her own inquiry, and she adopts a new outlook on life without outright rejecting her God. 

“We like the idea that there’s always someone responsible for any given event, because that helps us make sense of the world. We like that so much that sometimes we blame ourselves, just so that there’s someone to blame. But not everything is under our control, or even anyone’s control.” 

This speech is important for everyone at the support group to hear, as most of them are dealing with guilt after using their prisms. The quote becomes even more interesting because it is Dana who speaks it. Given her relationship with Vinessa, Dana needs to heed her own advice more than anyone. Dana’s ability to facilitate the group and help others while failing to help herself makes her a more flawed and interesting character. As Nat is also present, this quote helps build up the significance of Nat’s gift to Dana at the end of the story. 

“Every decision you make contributes to your character and shapes the kind of person you are. If you want to be someone who always gives the extra money back to the cashier, the actions you take now affect whether you’ll become that person.”

Nat wants to take this advice from Dana but worries it’s too late for her to change, having already made so many bad decisions in her life. Nat’s desire to change while battling the doubt in herself is the major conflict she faces in the story. Dana’s advice makes the solution crystal clear, but now it’s up to Nat to see if she can live up to it or not. There is an added layer of suspense because the reader knows Nat is debating about selling Lyle’s prism to Scott Otsuka. Dana doesn’t know, but her advice is even more immediate and serious than she realizes.