He was split, one part of him never left this mental chamber that pictured itself as a sphere full of light fading into dark, because there was no way out. But motion in this world depended on rest in the world outside. A man is in bed, wanting to sleep. A rat is behind the wall at his head, wanting to move. The man hears the rat fidget and cannot sleep, the rat hears the man fidget and dares not move. They are both unhappy, one fidgeting and the other waiting, or both happy, the rat moving and the man sleeping.
In this passage from Samuel Beckett's "Murphy," the protagonist experiences a conflict between his inner thoughts and external realities. He feels trapped in a mental state depicted as a fading light, unable to escape his own mind. This struggle highlights the dependence on external circumstances for personal movement and peace. The man in bed longs for sleep while a rat behind the wall represents a yearning for freedom, creating a tension between their needs.
The imagery suggests a shared discontent; both the man and the rat are in a state of agitation. The man’s desire for rest is disrupted by the rat, while the rat hesitates to disturb the man’s struggle with insomnia. This interplay illustrates how individuals may find themselves in a symbiotic relationship of need, where one’s peace relies on the actions or inactions of another, leading to a state of mutual unhappiness or potential contentment through understanding.
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