1

It's a quote from the drama Manifest, the father here was trying to hide something from his daughter, Olive to keep her safe, but Olive had already known the truth through her brother Cal.

FATHER:Olive, how did you...

DAUGHTER: Cal told me. A long time ago.

FATHER:And here you are, living.

DAUGHTER: He said it was like trying to keep a secret from himself. And he couldn't do it.

What's the meaning of this phrase: And here you are, living? I googled it and came up with a quote from a poem which confused me.

5
  • 1
    What is the context? Can you go further back?
    – Martin
    Jan 29, 2019 at 8:58
  • OLIVE: You know, it's kinda hard to believe that there are people out there that hate you and Cal. FATHER: They don't hate us. They... hate an idea. OLIVE: The idea that you came back... Different? FATHER: But w-we didn't. We're the exact same people who left. OLIVE: I know. Except for the callings. FATHER: Olive, how did you... OLIVE: Cal told me. A long time ago. FATHER: And here you are, living.
    – scarlett
    Jan 29, 2019 at 9:51
  • 2
    Without further context, it's difficult to say. The conversation makes little sense to me. "And here you are" can be roughly synonymous with voilà or "And now look at you". It is a kind of mild exclamation. Living would mean "not dead, alive".
    – TimR
    Jan 29, 2019 at 9:51
  • Oh yeah! I got it! It's literally the meaning of "living"! According to the drama, anyone who knows about the "calling" would die, yet the daughter here is still living, so basically this is just a declarative sentence.
    – scarlett
    Jan 29, 2019 at 9:57
  • 1
    In that case the mild exclamation together with the complement living could be paraphrased, "And yet here you are, not dead after all". It is something more than a simple declaration of fact.
    – TimR
    Jan 29, 2019 at 10:00

1 Answer 1

3

I know the answer to the question, but only because I've been following the show. This isn't a matter of language but of context. It's not something you would know from the dialogue around this scene, but from having watched past episodes.

In the earlier episodes of the show, people who the survivors told about their so-called callings all died within several days. (There was a particular episode where three people in a bar died—and the survivor who had told them all killed himself because he thought he was somehow responsible.)

It was because of this theory (unknown to be a coincidence or not at the time) that the protagonists decided not to tell anyone. They didn't want to risk there being some connection that would result in the people they told dying.

Since that episode, the connection has seemingly been proven to be nothing more than coincidence because several people who have been told have actually survived.

DAUGHTER: Cal told me. A long time ago.
FATHER:And here you are, living.

He's just saying that this is further evidence that there isn't actually any correlation between somebody being told about the callings and their subsequent deaths.

There is nothing special or idiomatic about the statement. It means exactly what it says, and is simply a normal assembly of English words.

7
  • There's a difference between You are here and Here you are.
    – TimR
    Jan 29, 2019 at 15:44
  • @Tᴚoɯɐuo I'm confused, since you are here wasn't used in the question or my answer. (There can be a difference, but they can also mean the same thing; it would be a good topic for a separate question.) I'm not sure how it applies here. Jan 29, 2019 at 15:56
  • Hear our ewe also means something else. ;) Jan 29, 2019 at 16:06
  • I am responding to your final sentence "means exactly what it says ... simply a normal assembly of English words". The word order lifts it above mere assertion of the fact "you are here".
    – TimR
    Jan 29, 2019 at 16:13
  • @Tᴚoɯɐuo But any assembly of words has to include word order, rules of grammar, and often context in order for the result to be meaningful. And, again, you are here was never used anywhere, so I don't know why you keep mentioning it specifically. Jan 29, 2019 at 16:18

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .