# Quest explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Georgia Douglas Johnson.

## What happens

The narrator recounts a futile search for an elusive phantom happiness, traveling across varied landscapes and seeking entry at every opportunity, only to conclude that the quest is over as eternal night descends.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hope and Vision for the Future

The quest for happiness represents a hopeful pursuit, though it ultimately ends in despair.

### The Passing of Time and Mortality

The descent of eternal night signifies the end of the search and the approach of death.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator reflects on a lifelong, unsuccessful search for happiness.

## Key lines

> The phantom happiness I sought O’er every crag and moor;

I chased an illusion of happiness across every rugged landscape.

_The narrator describes the elusive nature of the happiness they pursued._

> The curtains of eternal night Descend⁠—my search is o’er.

The final darkness falls, and my quest has ended.

_The conclusion of the search is marked by the arrival of death or finality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_9_se/chapters/quest
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_9_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_9_se/chapters