Gaze Quote by Peter Lerangis
““Ian nodded. Do not question her, he told himself. Not when she is in a state like this. Still, it was a pity to attack them with such force. Especially the girl, Amy. He'd never met anyone like her. Shy. Gentle. With an exciting edge of hostility. So unlike the girls back home, who flung themselves at him so often that his chauffeurs traveled with first-aid kits. Doesn't she know better? Isn't she smart enough to stop the hunt? It was the boy and the au pair. He was a pint-sized hothead. She was a collection of piercings and piggishness. If only Amy and Dan had stayed trapped in the cave in Seoul, at least long enough to get discouraged. Why did they antagonize Mother? They don't know what it's like to live with her. "Right you are," Ian said. "They're asking for it. Heaven forbid they listen to the brains of the outfit." "And that would be–?" Isabel asked. Ian looked away. "Well, the sister, I'd say. Amy." He felt a smile inching across his face. "Ian?" His mother grabbed his wrist. "If you are having the inkling of a shadow of a thought..." "Mother!" Ian could feel the blood rushing to his face. "How could you suspect for a moment...?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Secret of the Haunted School, 2015
The passage shows a conflicted narrator rationalizing violent behavior toward a vulnerable girl while wrestling with guilt and societal expectations.
In simple terms: Rationalizing cruelty is a coping mechanism for inner conflict.
Question moral justifications for harm.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- school bullying
- family pressure
- peer influence
- psychological manipulation
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives people to excuse aggression toward the vulnerable?
- How can we intervene in cycles of justified violence?
The narrator’s justification may ignore the victim’s agency and perpetuate harm.