Literary notes about trigger (AI summary)
The term “trigger” appears in literature both as a literal device and as a potent metaphor. In many narratives, it denotes the physical act that initiates a burst of violence—a decisive pull that sends a bullet or unleashes explosive energy, as seen when a character hesitates before drawing a trigger in the midst of conflict [1] or when a fatal shot is described with the cocking and pulling of a trigger [2],[3]. Equally, authors employ the word metaphorically to evoke sudden, irreversible change or heightened tension. For instance, it is used to describe a state of nervous readiness, as when a person’s nerves are likened to being on a “hair-trigger” [4],[5], and it even symbolizes the spark that sets in motion larger, sometimes catastrophic, events [6],[7].
- While I trembled, while I dared not touch the trigger, he snatched the musket from my hands, aimed, and fired.
— from Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz - Then his finger tightened on the trigger.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Lying on his face, he rested his rifle upon a rock, and took a long and steady aim before drawing the trigger.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - [112] No other [Pg 91] tract of the nervous system is, at the moment, in this hair-trigger condition.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - “My nerves are on a hair-trigger these days,” Martin apologized.
— from Martin Eden by Jack London - Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - The loss of a leader can degrade a group's cohesiveness and in some cases may trigger its collapse.
— from National Strategy for Combating TerrorismSeptember 2006 by National Security Council (U.S.)
