What does "closing the gap" mean?

[Indie993]

Hello,
Can someone kindly explain the meaning of the last part of this sentence?
"Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps to the past."
Thank you

 

[The Maltese Falcon]

Hello.

In this context, the phrase "closing the gap" seems to be used rather poetically. It basically means to get closer to something. For example, if there were a race and the runner in second place was catching up to the runner in first, then they would be "closing the gap." Perhaps the writer here is implying that some people are trying to get closer to their past to distance themselves from a painful present.

I hope this helps!

 

[tylerhuynh]

It simply means you're going to catch up with whatever you're pursuing. For instance, speaking in the langue of soccer, team A has 20 points and team B has 15 points. Team B recently won a match, which will give it 3 more points. Team B is closing the gap with team A because team B now has 18 points, very close to the point of team A. Hope this helps. ;-)

 

[Raymott]

It simply means you're going to catch up with whatever you're pursuing.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Not in this case. It can mean that.
"Closing the gaps" can also mean sealing up the holes, putting putty in cracks. But I can't get the original to make sense with either of these definitions. Perhaps "closing the portals to the past" makes sense.

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

This dialogue is from the film "Into The Wild" (2007).

The line is among the quotes on this page.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)

Although it's still not clear in the slightly broader context that's given, I suspect that Raymott is close to the mark.
I get the sense that it means something like, "some people go on quietly with their lives, trying not to let the past intrude on them", or more simply "… trying to forget the past".