Idolatry Quote by Joseph Heller
““His response to them as sexual beings was one of frenzied worship and idolatry. They were lovely, satisfying, maddening manifestations of the miraculous, instruments of pleasure too powerful to be measured, too keen to be endured, and too exquisite to be intended for employment by base, unworthy man. He could interpret their naked presence in his hands only as a cosmic oversight destined to be rectified speedily, and he was driven always to make what carnal use of them he could in the fleeting moment of two he felt he had before Someone caught wise and whisked them away.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Catch-22, 1961
The narrator’s obsessive desire for sexual fulfillment reflects a chaotic, dehumanizing worldview where desire is both worshipped and condemned.
In simple terms: Obsessive desire reveals inner conflict.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and temper unhealthy obsessions.
Themes
desire
obsession
dehumanization
chaos
morality
Mood
dark
critical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- therapy
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychosexual dynamics
power relations
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives the narrator’s extreme fixation?
- How does power affect intimate connections?
A Different Perspective
The portrayal may objectify women.
![“His response to them [women] as sexual beings was one of frenzied worship and idolatry. They were lovely, satisfying, maddening manifestations of the miraculous, instruments of pleasure too powerful to be measured, too keen to be endured, and too exquisite to be intended for employment by base…” quote by Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/392/joseph-heller-601_idolatry_his-response-to-them-women-as-sexual-bei_591961.jpg)
