The Turning

by

Tim Winton

Neuralgia Term Analysis

Neuralgia is an extreme pain caused by nerve damage. Vic Lang suffers from postherpetic neuralgia, the result of shingles, a common if painful complication of the disease.

Neuralgia Quotes in The Turning

The The Turning quotes below are all either spoken by Neuralgia or refer to Neuralgia. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
).
Defender Quotes

The neuralgia rattled him. It was usually the precursor to a relapse. And, God, he didn’t want to return to how he was at Christmas – the searing headaches, the blisters. Gail was right to be afraid. It frightened him too, this total collapse, because he felt his mind teetering t its limit. He’d been this close before but he’d never told her. At this great distance he could still see himself, the boy behind the curtain, cradling death in his arms. He was forty-four years old but he felt just as helpless. He knew what the boy didn’t, that you couldn’t keep soldiering on indefinitely. But beyond that, even at this age, he still didn’t know the first thing about saving himself.

Related Characters: Vic Lang, Vic’s Wife (Gail)
Page Number: 308-309
Explanation and Analysis:
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Neuralgia Term Timeline in The Turning

The timeline below shows where the term Neuralgia appears in The Turning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Defender
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
Family, Violence, and Love Theme Icon
Belonging and Escape Theme Icon
Regret and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...it. She quickly backs down, however, as Vic is clearly unwell and is suffering from neuralgia. (full context)
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
Family, Violence, and Love Theme Icon
Regret and Forgiveness Theme Icon
When Vic wakes up, the neuralgia has passed. He walks outside, reflecting on the drive. Strangely, what he is stuck on... (full context)