He could not feel at ease with gourmets and hedonists; they were a hostile species.
Paul Bowles
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In "The Spider's House" by Paul Bowles, the protagonist struggles to find common ground with gourmets and hedonists, whom he perceives as a threatening group. Their pursuit of pleasure and indulgence creates a barrier between him and their lifestyle, leaving him feeling alienated.

This sense of discomfort reveals a deeper conflict within the protagonist, highlighting his values and beliefs. He views their lifestyle not just as different, but as fundamentally hostile to his own views, emphasizing the theme of isolation in the face of contrasting desires and lifestyles.

In "The Spider's House" by Paul Bowles, the protagonist struggles to find common ground with gourmets and hedonists, whom he perceives as a threatening group. Their pursuit of pleasure and indulgence creates a barrier between him and their lifestyle, leaving him feeling alienated.

This sense of discomfort reveals a deeper conflict within the protagonist, highlighting his values and beliefs. He views their lifestyle not just as different, but as fundamentally hostile to his own views, emphasizing the theme of isolation in the face of contrasting desires and lifestyles.

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The Spider's House
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Paul Bowles
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Other quotes in The Spider's House

The key question, it seemed to him, was that of whether man was to obey Nature, or attempt to command her. It had been answered long, long ago, claimed Moss; man's very essence lay in the fact that he had elected to command. But to Stenham that seemed a shallow reply. To him wisdom consisted in the conscious and joyous obedience to natural laws, yet when he had said that to Moss, Moss had laughed pityingly. 'My dear man, wisdom is a primitive concept,' he had told him. 'What we want now is knowledge.' Only great disillusionment could make a man say such a thing, Stenham believed.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
The key question, it seemed to him, was that of whether man was to obey Nature, or attempt to command her. It had been answered long, long ago, claimed Moss; man's very essence lay in the fact that he had elected to command. But to Stenham that seemed a shallow reply. To him wisdom consisted in the conscious and joyous obedience to natural laws, yet when he had said that to Moss, Moss had laughed pityingly. 'My dear man, wisdom is a primitive concept,' he had told him. 'What we want now is knowledge.' Only great disillusionment could make a man say such a thing, Stenham believed.
The insistent drums were an unwelcome reminder of the existence of another world, wholly autonomous, with its own necessities and patterns. The message they were beating out, over and over, was for her; it was saying, not precisely that she did not exist but rather that it did not matter whether she existed or not, that her presence was of no consequence to the rest of the cosmos. It was a sensation that suddenly paralyzed her with dread. There had never been any question of her "mattering"; it went without saying that she mattered, because she was important to herself. But what was the part of her to which she mattered?
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
The insistent drums were an unwelcome reminder of the existence of another world, wholly autonomous, with its own necessities and patterns. The message they were beating out, over and over, was for her; it was saying, not precisely that she did not exist but rather that it did not matter whether she existed or not, that her presence was of no consequence to the rest of the cosmos. It was a sensation that suddenly paralyzed her with dread. There had never been any question of her "mattering"; it went without saying that she mattered, because she was important to herself. But what was the part of her to which she mattered?
Even the smallest measure of time is greater than the greatest measure of space. Or is that a lie? Does it only seem so to us, because we can never get it back?
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
Even the smallest measure of time is greater than the greatest measure of space. Or is that a lie? Does it only seem so to us, because we can never get it back?
nothing would have meaning, because the knowing was itself the meaning; beyond that there was nothing to know.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
nothing would have meaning, because the knowing was itself the meaning; beyond that there was nothing to know.
That was one of the troubles with the Istiqlal, with all politics: you talked about people as though they were not really people, as though they were only things, numbers, animals, perhaps, but not really people.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
That was one of the troubles with the Istiqlal, with all politics: you talked about people as though they were not really people, as though they were only things, numbers, animals, perhaps, but not really people.
There could be nothing, he reflected, to equal a government which was simply the honest enforcement, by means of the sword, of the laws of Islam.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
There could be nothing, he reflected, to equal a government which was simply the honest enforcement, by means of the sword, of the laws of Islam.
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Other quotes in hedonists

He could not feel at ease with gourmets and hedonists; they were a hostile species.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
He could not feel at ease with gourmets and hedonists; they were a hostile species.
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