Beneath the pressure of torments such as these, the feeble remnant of the good within me succumbed. Evil thoughts became my sole intimates - the darkest and most evil of thoughts. The moodiness of my usual temper increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind; while, from the sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now blindly abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! was the most usual and the most patient of sufferers.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Under immense torment, the narrator's remaining goodness fades, leaving only evil thoughts that cause harm to his wife.
- In plain terms
- Pain made the good in me die, leaving only hate that hurt my wife.
- What can you take from it?
- Extreme suffering can corrupt moral character.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can pain make someone evil?
- Where does hatred come from?
Another view
It absolves the narrator of responsibility by blaming the torment.
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