The despondency that follows makes me feel somewhat like a shipwrecked man who spies a sail, sees himself saved, and suddenly remembers that the lens of his spyglass has a flaw, a blurred spot -- the sail he has seen.
Jean GenetRead
I wanted to swallow myself by opening my mouth very wide and turning it over my head so that it would take in my whole body, and then the Universe, until all that would remain of me would be a ball of eaten thing which little by little would be annihilated: that is how I see the end of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses an intense desire for total dissolution and merging with the universe, reflecting existential themes.
This quote by Jean Genet conveys a profound longing for annihilation and unity with the cosmos. The imagery of swallowing oneself represents a wish to become one with everything, suggesting a deep existential questioning regarding existence, identity, and the end of the world. It emphasizes a sense of dissolution, not just physically but also in the context of the self and the universe, highlighting the inevitable fate of all beings.
Themes
ExistenceUniverseAnnihilationDissolutionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about existentialism in a philosophy class.
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