Hunger, Part 1 summary
Part 1 of 4 · 68 min to read the part
In Part 1, an unnamed writer wanders Christiania without breakfast or rent money, pawns his waistcoat, and gives a stranger money before buying food. His plans to write give way to harassment of two women, boasts to a pawnbroker, and anger at God, while small possessions briefly restore his spirits.
What happens
- The narrator leaves his bare attic hungry, remembering failed job applications and the occasional money his newspaper writing earns.
- He pawns his waistcoat, gives a shilling to a lame shoe binder, and buys bread and cheese with the remainder.
- After eating in the park, he plans a philosophical treatise but discovers his pencil remains in the pawned waistcoat.
- On his return journey, he harasses two women, privately names one Ylajali, and exchanges a silent look with her at a window.
- He retrieves his pencil and falsely tells the pawnbroker that it serves him in writing a three-volume philosophical work.
- Back in the park, he blames God for his suffering, then takes comfort in finding six shaving tickets.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Hunger, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this part
Quick check
Why does the narrator return to the pawnbroker?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Hunger, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
