--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Singular as it may appear, the sufferer…" description: "\"“Singular as it may appear, the sufferer had now contracted a sort of affection for his tormentor, mingled, however, with the intensest loathing and ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg" --- # Singular as it may appear, the sufferer had now contracted… ![“Singular as it may appear, the sufferer had now contracted a sort of affection for his tormentor, mingled, however, with the intensest loathing and horror. Nor were such discordant emotions incompatible. Each, on the contrary, imparted strength and poignancy to its opposite. Horrible love—horrible…” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg) > ““Singular as it may appear, the sufferer had now contracted a sort of affection for his tormentor, mingled, however, with the intensest loathing and horror. Nor were such discordant emotions incompatible. Each, on the contrary, imparted strength and poignancy to its opposite. Horrible love—horrible antipathy—embracing one another in his bosom, and both concentrating themselves upon a being that had crept into his vitals or been engendered there, and which was nourished with his food, and lived upon his life, and was as intimate with him as his own heart, and yet was the foulest of all created things!”” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character feels both love and hatred toward his tormentor, each emotion intensifying the other, creating a complex, painful bond. **In simple terms:** Love and hate can coexist, making each feeling stronger. Key Takeaway Recognize how mixed emotions can fuel inner strength. Themes conflict emotion psychology duality Mood anguished intense reflective Type literary psychological philosophical When to use this quote - personal betrayal - intimate relationships - inner turmoil - self‑reflection Key Concepts ambivalence pain attachment Questions to Reflect On - How do opposing feelings shape your decisions? - Can you harness this tension productively? 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"Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. 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Horrible love—horrible antipathy—embracing one another in his bosom, and both concentrating themselves upon a being that had crept into his vitals or been engendered there, and which was nourished with his food, and lived upon his life, and was as intimate with him as his own heart, and yet was the foulest of all created things!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-had-now-contracted-a-sort-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-had-now-contracted-a-sort-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_love_singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-h_1352323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Singular as it may appear, the sufferer had now contracted a sort of affection for his tormentor, mingled…” — Nathaniel Hawthorne", "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Singular as it may appear, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-had-now-contracted-a-sort-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/singular-as-it-may-appear-the-sufferer-had-now-contracted-a-sort-of/#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 } } ] } ```