# Ennui explained — The Book of Jade

> Chapter companion for The Book of Jade by David Park Barnitz.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker who sits in Gomorrah, experiencing ennui and dismissing the seven deadly sins.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-ennui
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters