# O explained — The Devil’s Dictionary

> Chapter companion for The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter presents cynical definitions for words beginning with 'O', including Oath, Oblivion, Observatory, Obsessed, Obsolete, Obstinate, Occasional, Occident, Ocean, Offensive, Old, Oleaginous, Olympian, Omen, Once, Opera, Ostrich, Otherwise, Outcome, Outdo, Out-Of-Doors, Ovation, Overeat, Overwork, Owe, Oyster, Opiate, Opportunity, Oppose, Opposition, Optimism, Optimist, Oratory, Orphan, Orthodox, and Orthography. The definitions satirize human folly, religion, politics, and social conventions.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Duplicity

The definition of 'Occident' explicitly calls Christians a 'powerful subtribe of the Hypocrites,' and 'Oratory' is described as a conspiracy to cheat understanding.

### Human Folly and Self-Deception

Definitions such as 'Optimism' (belief that everything is beautiful including the ugly) and 'Outcome' (disappointment) highlight human self-deception.

### Politics and Power

The definition of 'Opposition' satirizes political systems, describing opposition as hamstringing the government, and includes a parable about a king and parliament.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator provides cynical definitions throughout the chapter.

### Father Gassalasca Jape

Referenced in the definition of 'Oath' as the author of a quoted verse.

### The Dullards

Mentioned in the definition of 'Oath' as the source of a quoted verse.

### Shakespeare

Referenced in the definition of 'Obsolete' as a writer who used obsolete words.

## Key lines

> Oblivion The state or condition in which the wicked cease from struggling and the dreary are at rest. Fame’s eternal dumping ground. Cold storage for high hopes.

Oblivion is where the wicked stop struggling and the dreary find rest; it is fame's dumping ground and a cold storage for high hopes.

_Cynical redefinition of oblivion as a place of rest for the wicked and a repository for lost ambitions._

> Occident The part of the world lying west (or east) of the Orient. It is largely inhabited by Christians, a powerful subtribe of the Hypocrites, whose principal industries are murder and cheating, which they are pleased to call 'war' and 'commerce.'

The Occident is the part of the world west of the Orient, mostly inhabited by Christians, a hypocritical subtribe whose main activities are murder and cheating, euphemistically called war and commerce.

_Satirical critique of Western civilization and Christian hypocrisy._

> Optimism The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong.

Optimism is the belief that everything is beautiful, including the ugly; everything good, especially the bad; and everything right that is wrong.

_Cynical definition of optimism as a delusional doctrine._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/o
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters