I am of the opinion that things don’t hurt enough in fiction. In real life, things hurt really, really bad. Hitting their shin on a chair is enough to paralyze a linebacker sometimes. To the extent that there are symbols and themes running through my work, I think you’ll notice that most times, when people get hurt, they get hurt really bad and they stay hurt for a while.
From this moment on this character’s life has changed. Everything will be divided into things before this moment and after this moment.