Hart: “ We could go to the Cape next weekend.”
Susan: "We aren't going anywhere."
Hart: "I, uh, wish you wouldn't treat me like this. I haven't had a decent meal in four days. I haven't had any sleep. Look, he tested me, I failed. I worked so hard on that goddamn paper. Well, he may flunk me! "
Susan: "They finally got you, didn't they, Hart? They sucked all that Midwestern charm right out of you. Look it, he's got you scared to death. Oh you're gonna pass, because you're the kind the law school wants. You'll get your little diploma, your piece of paper that's no different than this, and you can stick it in your silver box, with all the other paper in your life. Your birth certificate, your driver's license, your marriage license, your stock certificates, and your will. "
Hart: "You don't even care."
Susan: "I wish you would flunk. There might be some hope for you. "
我想,题目中的PAPER不仅指人生中的各类证书,也包括Hart试图完成老师指定的那篇论文,以及Susan苦苦等待的那张离婚判决吧。他失败了,但是那又如何?人生的目的不只为了通过考试,为一个分数而耽误了攸关我们生命的事情才真正是舍本逐末。在Susan看来,吃好饭,睡好觉,享受和情人相伴的时刻显然比考试不挂科来得更有价值。在讨论Kevin因功课压力太大企图自杀时,Susan在海边说了这样一段话: “You've gotta stand up. You've gotta grow. I can't explain it, but you just gotta stop being so soft, so easily manipulated. It's very dangerous for one's intelligence.”