Human, All Too Human, Part 50 summary
Part 50 of 152 · 3 min to read the part
In 50, the argument moves from La Rochefoucauld's warning against compassion to the claim that sufferers seek sympathy because it gives them power to hurt others. It extends this account to everyday conversation, where small acts of cruelty provide pleasure that many people refuse to acknowledge.
What happens
- La Rochefoucauld advises rational people to show sympathy without feeling compassion, which he regards as weakening.
- The argument challenges his account of sufferers by suggesting that their appeals for sympathy aim to cause observers pain.
- Children and suffering people illustrate how visible distress can produce pleasure through a sense of power over others.
- The argument extends this desire to social conversation, where questions and replies frequently aim to cause small hurts.
- It closes by questioning people's willingness to admit their pleasure in cruelty and citing Prosper Mérimée's agreement.
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In this part
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According to the argument, why can sympathy console suffering people?
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