The Book of Jade · Chapter
Ennui explained
The speaker, sitting in Gomorrah, is overcome by boredom and solitude when the seven deadly sins appear before him in a ritualistic manner.
What happens
The speaker, sitting in Gomorrah, is overcome by boredom and solitude when the seven deadly sins appear before him in a ritualistic manner. They present themselves in various forms, including an old, weak figure, a shrouded corpse-like one, and a scornful woman in reddish-purple. One sin, dressed in pale blue, begins to pray, but the speaker dismisses them all, declaring that nothing truly exists, all is ancient and foolish, and asks them to leave.
Themes in this chapter
Ennui and Existential Dread
The speaker's boredom and solitude, along with the dismissal of the sins, reflect a deep existential weariness.
Sin and Moral Transgression
The seven deadly sins appear as personified figures, embodying moral transgression in a ritualistic setting.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who sits in Gomorrah, experiencing ennui and dismissing the seven deadly sins.
Key passages
“I sat in tall Gomorrah on a day, Boring myself with solitude and dreams”
One day, I sat in the lofty city of Gomorrah, feeling bored by my own loneliness and fantasies.
Sets the scene of the speaker's ennui in a morally corrupt city.
“The seven mortal sins, in rich array, Came in and knelt”
The seven deadly sins, dressed in luxurious garments, entered and knelt before me.
Introduces the personified sins as they make a ceremonial entrance.
“Naught really is; all things are very old, And very foolish. Please to go away.”
Nothing truly exists; everything is ancient and absurd. Please leave.
The speaker's nihilistic dismissal of the sins and existence itself.