--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing this, he had reached the pit of…" description: "\"“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy and her part in it. It w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png" --- # Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he… ![“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy and her part in it. It was not that she had ever forced her way on him. That had never been necessary. Her way had simply been the air he breathed and when at last he had…” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png) > ““Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy and her part in it. It was not that she had ever forced her way on him. That had never been necessary. Her way had simply been the air he breathed and when at last he had found other air, he couldn't survive in it. He felt that even if she didn't understand at once, the letter would leave her with an enduring chill and perhaps in time lead her to see herself as she was.”” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man feels desperate, hoping a letter will make a woman recognize her role in his suffering, seeing her as essential as air. **In simple terms:** He hopes his letter will make her understand his pain. Key Takeaway Write to clarify feelings. Themes despair communication relationships Mood sad reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - marriage - conflict - mental health - letter writing Key Concepts existential crisis emotional dependency Questions to Reflect On - Can a letter change someone's perception? - How do we recognize our impact on others? A Different Perspective She may not grasp his pain immediately. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Letter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letter/) [Pit Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pit-despair-2207952/) [Sense Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-tragedy-405436/) [Tragedy Forced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy-forced-2890107/) [Understand Letter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-letter-3719757/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If u can rely understand what each letter on I LOVE YOU what it means And implement them in ,instead of knowing them just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-alanz/if-u-can-rely-understand-what-each-letter-on-i-love-you-what-it-means/) [Mks Alanz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-alanz/) > [Time and tragedy have forced her to grow too quickly, at least for my taste, into a young woman who stitches bleeding wounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/time-and-tragedy-have-forced-her-to-grow-too-quickly-at-least-for-my/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“She's really gone, then...Time and tragedy have forced her to grow too quickly...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/she-s-really-gone-then-time-and-tragedy-have-forced-her-to-grow-too/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I despair at the rise of modern violence. I truly give in to despair at times, that deep, futureless pit of despair… I watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-despair-at-the-rise-of-modern-violence-i-truly-give-in-to-despair/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“I can just conceive of the pit of despair, the notion of being powerless and the essence of existence through it entirely”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/i-can-just-conceive-of-the-pit-of-despair-the-notion-of-being/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [If you start in the pit of despair with these profane, awful things, even a glimmer of hope or awareness is going to occur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-you-start-in-the-pit-of-despair-with-these-profane-awful-things/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [As a club, there was never any middle ground with Newcastle. They were as high as the sky or in a pit of despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scholes/as-a-club-there-was-never-any-middle-ground-with-newcastle-they-were/) [Paul Scholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scholes/) > [Music is entertainment, and we need that in order not to fall into the pit of despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varg-vikernes/music-is-entertainment-and-we-need-that-in-order-not-to-fall-into-the/) [Varg Vikernes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varg-vikernes/) > [Children seldom have a proper sense of their own tragedy, discounting and keeping hidden the true horrors of their short lives, humbly imagining real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/children-seldom-have-a-proper-sense-of-their-own-tragedy-discounting/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [I don't think it's possible to have a sense of tragedy without having a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-don-t-think-it-s-possible-to-have-a-sense-of-tragedy-without-having/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [In the midst of the sense of tragedy or loss, sometimes laughter is not only healing, it's a way of experiencing the person that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/in-the-midst-of-the-sense-of-tragedy-or-loss-sometimes-laughter-is/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [There's always a sense of tragedy with icons. It happened to both the Princess of Wales and Diana Dors. A lot of people had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hawes/there-s-always-a-sense-of-tragedy-with-icons-it-happened-to-both-the/) [Keeley Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hawes/) > [The sense of tragedy is that the world is not a pleasant little nest made for our protection, but a vast and largely hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/the-sense-of-tragedy-is-that-the-world-is-not-a-pleasant-little-nest/) [Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/) > [It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey of human culture – to avoid the sense that pain is necessity;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-the-long-journey-of-human/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Flannery O'Connor > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) [Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More Letter quotes > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Letter-writing on the part of a busy man or woman is the quintessence of generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/letter-writing-on-the-part-of-a-busy-man-or-woman-is-the-quintessence/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > ['Forever Evil' is my love letter to DC super villains. It's my chance to take all of the villains I've worked with and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/forever-evil-is-my-love-letter-to-dc-super-villains-it-s-my-chance-to/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [What truly gives me joy is when I get a letter from a young woman who says they saw a programme, then read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/what-truly-gives-me-joy-is-when-i-get-a-letter-from-a-young-woman-who/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [“You need a new story; one that starts with this letter and ends with you holding my Rah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-st-vil/you-need-a-new-story-one-that-starts-with-this-letter-and-ends-with/) [Lola St.Vil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-st-vil/) > [“- Mom, can I tell them there that I'm Romanian? - Sure, why not tell them? - I was thinking that they wouldn't think...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-enescu/mom-can-i-tell-them-there-that-i-m-romanian-sure-why-not-tell-them-i/) [George Enescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-enescu/) > [The sending of a letter constitutes a magical grasp upon the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/the-sending-of-a-letter-constitutes-a-magical-grasp-upon-the-future/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [When you have to write a letter, you're automatically put into a state of composure and a kind of formality. You can't help it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/when-you-have-to-write-a-letter-you-re-automatically-put-into-a-state/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [“ 134. Letters are Commonplace Letters are commonplace enough, yet what splendid things they are! When someone is in a distant province and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sei-shonagon/134-letters-are-commonplace-letters-are-commonplace-enough-yet-what/) [Sei Shonagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sei-shonagon/) > [“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can bear the thought of leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“My Dear Mrs Winter. (I had half a mind when I dipped my pen in the ink, to address you by your old natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/my-dear-mrs-winter-i-had-half-a-mind-when-i-dipped-my-pen-in-the-ink/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“LETTER FROM JOSEPH TO EMMA NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 13 OCTOBER 1832 "I feel as if I wanted to say something to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-eschler/letter-from-joseph-to-emma-new-york-city-new-york-13-october-1832-i/) [Angela Eschler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-eschler/) > [“I have just received your letter, and shall devote this whole morning to answering it, as I foresee that a little writing will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-have-just-received-your-letter-and-shall-devote-this-whole-morning/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“The contents of this letter threw Elizabeth into a flutter of spirits in which it was difficult to determine whether pleasure or pain bore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-contents-of-this-letter-threw-elizabeth-into-a-flutter-of-spirits/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“I have received the favor of your letter of August 17th, and with it the volume you were so kind as to send me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-have-received-the-favor-of-your-letter-of-august-17th-and-with-it/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 944 Letter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy and her part in it. It was not that she had ever forced her way on him. That had never been necessary. Her way had simply been the air he breathed and when at last he had found other air, he couldn't survive in it. He felt that even if she didn't understand at once, the letter would leave her with an enduring chill and perhaps in time lead her to see herself as she was.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Flannery O'Connor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Letter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/flannery-o-connor-639_letter_writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-d_779362.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to…” — Flannery O'Connor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Flannery O'Connor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Writing this, he had reached the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```