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Paradox
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Part 2: Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—The Stink of Love:
Hella’s return in Part 2: Chapter 1 ruptures David’s relationship with Giovanni, pressuring him to pursue his idealized vision of heterosexual marriage. When David visits his lover’s room again in Part 2: Chapter 4, he encounters a devastated, desperate Giovanni who accuses him of contempt, in a passage filled with pathos:
You want to leave Giovanni because he makes you stink. You want to despise Giovanni because he is not afraid of the stink of love. You want to kill him in the name of all your lying little moralities. And you—you are immoral. You are, by far, the most immoral man I have met in all my life. Look, look what you have done to me. Do you think you could have done this if I did not love you? Is this what you should do to love?
Giovanni’s pleas underscore the extent of his devotion. This moment has a pathetic, heartbreaking quality to it, especially after Giovanni shares his backstory with David. Giovanni, the reader learns, has abandoned everything—dead baby, wife, and village—in traveling towards an unfamiliar city. He has endured sexual exploitation at Guillaume’s hands, given up his livelihood, and ransomed his future, all for the sake of David’s love. In protesting against David’s heartlessness, Giovanni’s outcry crowns the many sacrifices he has made for this relationship.
The moment reveals a more fragile side to Giovanni than their relationship has previously suggested. For all his “artless” smiles and boyish zest, the tearful Giovanni is conscious of heartbreak and more vulnerable than ever to it. He is conscious of his “stink,” acknowledging his inability to provide David the heterosexual satisfaction that Hella can. But he has also invested too much in this relationship to lose it. By emphasizing Giovanni’s vulnerability and his commitment, this scene makes David’s betrayal only more painful.
Related Themes:
