---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He felt strangely numb. As though from a…"
description: "\"He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance, he was aware that he was being beaten. The last sensations of pain left him. He no longer felt..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg"
---

#  He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance…

![“He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance, he was aware that he was being beaten. The last sensations of pain left him. He no longer felt anything, though very faintly he could hear the impact of the club upon his body. But it was no longer his body, it seemed so far away.” quote by Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg)

> “He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance, he was aware that he was being beaten. The last sensations of pain left him. He no longer felt anything, though very faintly he could hear the impact of the club upon his body. But it was no longer his body, it seemed so far away.”

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He becomes detached from pain, feeling his body as distant, indicating severe trauma.

**In simple terms:** He feels numb and detached from his own body.

Key Takeaway

Recognize signs of deep trauma.

Themes

trauma psychological dissociation combat stress

Mood

somber introspective

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- war zones
- abuse recovery
- extreme sports

Key Concepts

survival human endurance psychological impact

Questions to Reflect On

- What coping mechanisms help regain embodiment?
- How does detachment affect decision making?

A Different Perspective

Numbness can mask underlying injuries.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beaten Sensations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten-sensations-1919239/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Far away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-away/) [Felt Faintly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-faintly-1919238/) [Felt Strangely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-strangely-518171/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Numb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numb/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-left-458026/) [Strangely Numb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangely-numb-1919237/)

## Related quotes

> [I just let the pain take over, allowing it to numb the pain of being left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sorensen/i-just-let-the-pain-take-over-allowing-it-to-numb-the-pain-of-being/)

[Jessica Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sorensen/)

> [“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them. Strike had felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/the-dead-could-only-speak-through-the-mouths-of-those-left-behind-and-2/)

[Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/)

> [“When the plane took off with me in it, I felt strangely light—as if the strings mooring me to the life I’d made had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melodie-winawer/when-the-plane-took-off-with-me-in-it-i-felt-strangely-light-as-if/)

[Melodie Winawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melodie-winawer/)

> [“When she did walk, to the bathroom between the chairs and the customers leaning back in them, oblivious to her manoeuvres, the sight felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/when-she-did-walk-to-the-bathroom-between-the-chairs-and-the/)

[Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/)

> [“I smiled into her green eyes. The smile felt strangely sad to me. Maybe she didn’t notice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-smiled-into-her-green-eyes-the-smile-felt-strangely-sad-to-me-maybe/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I’d decided last night, and strengthened my resolve this morning, to have eyes for no man but Jesus. If intimacy was really what He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-rachel-peterson/i-d-decided-last-night-and-strengthened-my-resolve-this-morning-to/)

[Amy Rachel Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-rachel-peterson/)

> [“...I opened my eyes as if to a new beginning; nothing I saw was familiar to me, my head was empty, no thoughts, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-opened-my-eyes-as-if-to-a-new-beginning-nothing-i-saw-was-familiar/)

[Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/)

> [We moved around a lot when I was younger. I never really felt at home until we moved to Canada, but even then, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/we-moved-around-a-lot-when-i-was-younger-i-never-really-felt-at-home/)

[Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/)

> [“Their veil-muffled voices became loud and crisp. It felt strangely intimate to see them this way, the shapes and textures of their hair, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-klinec/their-veil-muffled-voices-became-loud-and-crisp-it-felt-strangely/)

[Jennifer Klinec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-klinec/)

> [“Something inside his chest unlocked--wildly, slowly, a peculiar sort of melting. He was lost. He was the thorn and the thistle, blown upon her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-abe/something-inside-his-chest-unlocked-wildly-slowly-a-peculiar-sort-of/)

[Shana Abé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-abe/)

> [The pain has left but I know that it has not gone far, that it is sulking somewhere in a corner or under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/the-pain-has-left-but-i-know-that-it-has-not-gone-far-that-it-is/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [There was no reality to pain when it left one, though while it held one fast all other realities faded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/there-was-no-reality-to-pain-when-it-left-one-though-while-it-held/)

[Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/)

> [God took you away to ease your pain, yet they left us crying...but now the right thing to do is think about all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-took-you-away-to-ease-your-pain-yet-they-left-us-crying-but-now/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The lesion is in the area of my brain that is responsible for motor function, so I have continual chronic pain in my left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-duffy/the-lesion-is-in-the-area-of-my-brain-that-is-responsible-for-motor/)

[Karen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-duffy/)

> [All the pain Nothing left to gain Feeling bad but put on a brave faceà This is why my emotions are this wayà](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-davies/all-the-pain-nothing-left-to-gain-feeling-bad-but-put-on-a-brave-face/)

[Ryan Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-davies/)

## More by Jack London

> [It's better to stand by someone's side than by yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/it-s-better-to-stand-by-someone-s-side-than-by-yourself/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“And all the while the four men lay beside me and watched and made no move. Nor did I move, and without shame I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-all-the-while-the-four-men-lay-beside-me-and-watched-and-made-no/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“As the days went by, the evolution of LIKE into LOVE was accelerated. White Fang himself began to grow aware of it, though in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-the-days-went-by-the-evolution-of-like-into-love-was-accelerated/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“But he knew life, its foulness as well as its fairness, its greatness in spite of the slime that infested it, and by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/but-he-knew-life-its-foulness-as-well-as-its-fairness-its-greatness/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [more you drink more you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/more-you-drink-more-you-want/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Of her own experience she had no memory of the thing happening; but in her instinct, which was the experience of all mothers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/of-her-own-experience-she-had-no-memory-of-the-thing-happening-but-in/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Socialism, when the last word is said, is merely a new economic and political system whereby more men can get food to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/socialism-when-the-last-word-is-said-is-merely-a-new-economic-and/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“As I, my real self, grew older, I entered more and more into the substance of my dreams. One may dream, and even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-i-my-real-self-grew-older-i-entered-more-and-more-into-the/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-believe-that-when-i-am-dead-i-am-dead-i-believe-that-with-my-death/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“He wastes his time over his writing, trying to accomplish what geniuses and rare men with college educations sometimes accomplish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-wastes-his-time-over-his-writing-trying-to-accomplish-what/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“Strength is an empty shell. One cannot violate the promptings of one’s nature without having that nature recoil upon itself. Show me a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/strength-is-an-empty-shell-one-cannot-violate-the-promptings-of-one-s/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-d-rather-sing-one-wild-song-and-burst-my-heart-with-it-than-live-a/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

[Explore all 425 Jack London quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance, he was aware that he was being beaten. The last sensations of pain left him. He no longer felt anything, though very faintly he could hear the impact of the club upon his body. But it was no longer his body, it seemed so far away.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack London"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a-great-distance-he-was-aware/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a-great-distance-he-was-aware/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/jack-london-595_body_he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a_977643.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He felt strangely numb. As though from a great distance, he was aware that he was being beaten. The last…” — Jack London",
                "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": "Jack London",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He felt strangely numb. As though...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a-great-distance-he-was-aware/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-felt-strangely-numb-as-though-from-a-great-distance-he-was-aware/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
