The Inferno · Chapter
IV: The Fall and Paradise Lost explained
The narrator withdraws into solitude to write a book, but his isolation leads to a spiritual crisis and a failed attempt at a miracle.
What happens
The narrator withdraws into solitude to write a book, but his isolation leads to a spiritual crisis and a failed attempt at a miracle. He experiences a vision of tiny praying hands in a germinating walnut, which he dismisses. Subsequently, he faces a series of misfortunes: his anonymous benefactor abandons him, his manuscript is printed in disarray, and he is forced to pawn his belongings. After mailing his work with a defiant gesture toward heaven, he is plagued by mysterious noises and hostility from others, eventually leaving for the Hôtel Orfila.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Paranoia
The narrator deliberately isolates himself, then feels persecuted by noises, hostile looks, and a conspiracy of Scandinavian ladies.
The Invisible and the Occult
The vision of praying hands in a walnut and the narrator's telepathic experiment highlight occult forces at work.
Guilt and Redemption
The narrator feels guilt for his attempted miracle and interprets subsequent misfortunes as punishment from unknown powers.
Characters to notice
- The Unknown
The narrator experiences isolation, attempts a miracle, and suffers a series of misfortunes after a defiant act.
- August Strindberg
Implied as the authorial self; the narrator's actions and thoughts reflect Strindberg's own experiences.
- Sphinx
Addressed defiantly by the narrator after mailing his work: 'Listen, Sphinx, I have solved thy riddle, and defy thee!'
- Providence
The 'unknown powers' and 'hand of the invisible' are referenced as forces punishing the narrator.
- Christina
The narrator's wife, mentioned in the context of his longing to be reunited with her and their child.
Key passages
“I believed myself in the possession of unlimited strength, and pride inspired me with the wild idea of seeing whether I could perform a miracle.”
Feeling all-powerful, I arrogantly decided to test if I could work a miracle.
Highlights the narrator's hubris and the beginning of his fall.
“The little hands were stretched out towards me, immovable, as if adjuring me. I could count the five fingers, the thumb shorter than the others—real woman’s or child’s hands.”
I saw tiny, pleading hands that looked exactly like a woman's or child's, frozen in a gesture of supplication.
Describes the uncanny vision of praying hands in the walnut germ.
“Listen, Sphinx, I have solved thy riddle, and defy thee!”
I shouted to the Sphinx that I had cracked its puzzle and now challenged it.
The narrator's defiant act that precedes his misfortunes.