The Book of Jade · Chapter
Harvard explained
The speaker, on his twenty-first year, expresses boredom with everything around him, including the people and professors at Harvard, and longs to escape into the grand world before old age arrives.
What happens
The speaker, on his twenty-first year, expresses boredom with everything around him, including the people and professors at Harvard, and longs to escape into the grand world before old age arrives.
Themes in this chapter
Ennui and Existential Dread
The speaker declares being 'a little bor’d with everything' and finds his surroundings ridiculous, embodying a sense of existential weariness.
Vanity of Human Endeavor
The dismissal of professors and the mundane activities of people underscores the futility and triviality of daily pursuits.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker, addressing his tired muse and expressing ennui with his surroundings.
Key passages
“I am a little bor’d with everything.”
I am somewhat bored with everything.
Direct expression of the speaker's ennui.
“Let us step into the great world ere long.”
Let us soon enter the wider world.
Desire to escape the current mundane environment.