It stands where man passes away.

[Dark_Fury]

Hello. This is what a high school teacher says in an old American movie called Halloween.

Samuels definitely personified fate. In Samuels' writing, fate is immovable, like a mountain. It stands where man passes away. Fate never changes.

I wonder if you could explain to me the meaning of "It stands where man passes away"?

Thank you!

 

[emsr2d2]

I readily admit I'm not entirely clear on the meaning but are you aware that "to pass away" is another way of saying "to die"?

 

[Raymott]

I'd put it down to poor quality script writing. And if "Samuels definitely personified fate", why is fate "immovable, like a mountain, and never changing"? - which is not personification at all.

 

[jutfrank]

The point here is that as the teacher is speaking, Laurie looks out of the window to see a portentous, darkly-clothed, masked figure across the street, standing motionless and staring straight at her. This evil monster is later revealed as the antagonist Michael Myers—death incarnate, 'the personification of fate'.

I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Michael's favourite pasttime is slashing teenagers to death with a knife. Wherever he 'stands', death (fate) is sure to follow.

 

[Dark_Fury]

Most likely jutfrank is right - it was meant to make the scene more suspenseful and ominous, and in fact has nothing to do with Samuels' writing.
But, I was almost sure that "Fate is immovable, like a mountain" was like saying that fate was cast in stone. "Immovable" there meant "incapable of being moved from one's purpose, opinion"; "like a mountain" was just a simile. Compare: "The news spread like wildfire." In other words, its sole purpose was to show that fate's resolution is impossible to change or "move".
As for "it stands where man passes away" I didn't have many concrete thoughts. I read "where man passes away" as "the point in time where a human being dies", and "stands", as "remains steadfast, firm in resolution".

 

[bubbha]

Halloween is an "old" movie? :shock:

 

[emsr2d2]

Halloween is an "old" movie? :shock:

Well, not old like Casablanca but it's 40 years this year since the first film in the Hallowe'en franchise came out so it certainly can't be classed as a new film!