“And there comes a time in your life when you realize that if you don't take the opportunity to be happy, you may never get another chance again.”
Getting past things and giving yourself a second chance in life is a significant motif in the narrative. Miles is an individual who dwells in the ‘false’ past of the town and a nostalgic perception of his own life. Throughout the story, he lingers on the fact that Empire Falls used to be a charming place than it is now. . Furthermore, he also fails to face the dark truths about his failed marriage and his own mother. However. Miles learns that dwelling on nostalgia will only hinder his happiness. Thus, the assertion alludes to the notion that you have to give yourself the chance to be happy and move past things. By the conclusion of the narrative, Miles deals with his past both the bad and the good and gives himself a second chance in life.
“They stayed, many of them because staying was easier and less scary than leaving,”
Hopelessness seems to be a recurring issue among the townspeople of Empire Falls. Very few harbor any hope of life beyond the confines of the small town. Accordingly, the statement expresses the lack of faith in themselves to actually make it out of the town. While the town is falling on hard times the thought of starting a new somewhere else seems like such a leap than just staying. Through Miles, the reader grasps the hopelessness that most have, in that despite the hard luck that has befallen him in the town he still chooses to embrace it.
“The sad, fucking truth was that no matter who you are, you never, ever, get your fill.”
The small-town drama of the narrative shows how each individual in Empire Falls has personal issues that interconnect them. The illusion that wealth or any particular aspect of a person’s life could enable them to be satisfied or fulfilled is explored in the story. As the town falls into bankruptcy the worst is brought out of everyone through personal vendettas, giving away the issues they are dealing with. Henceforth the statement is accurate in that despite the different individuals in the town no one is truly satisfied or could be fulfilled. In general, making a commentary on life as a whole.
