Change Quote by George Saunders
““The diamond doors flew open. I blinked in disbelief at the transformation within. The tent was no longer of silk but flesh (speckled and pink with spoiled blood); the feast was not a feast, but, rather, on long tables inside, numerous human forms were stretched out, in various stages of flaying; the host was no king, no Christ, but a beast, bloody-handed and long-fanged, wearing a sulfur-colored robe, bits of innards speckling it. Visible therein were three women and a bent-backed old man, bearing long ropes of (their own) intestines (terrible!), but most terrible of all was the way they screeched with joy as my funeral-suited friend was dragged in among them, and the way that poor fellow kept smiling, as if attempting to ingratiate himself with his captors, listing the many charitable things he had done back in Pennsylvania, and the numerous good people who would vouch for him, especially in the vicinity of Wilkes-Barre, if only they might be summoned, even as he was wrestled over to the flaying table by several escort-beings apparently constituted entirely of fire, such that, when they grabbed him (their searing touch instantaneously burning away his funeral suit), his pain was so great that he could no longer struggle or move at all, except his head turned briefly in my direction, and his eyes (horror-filled) met mine.””
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “The New World” in Tenth of the Night, 2013
A grotesque vision of a nightmarish banquet reveals humanity’s capacity for cruelty and the horror of being judged by monstrous standards.
In simple terms: A terrifying scene shows human cruelty and fear.
Recognize and confront dehumanizing forces.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- psychological horror
- social critique
- moral reflection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the banquet symbolize about society?
- How do we resist becoming the beast?
The vivid horror may be hyperbolic, limiting its literal applicability.