Suddenly, I viddied what I had to do, and that was to do myself in; to snuff it, to blast off forever out of this wicked, cruel world. One moment of pain perhaps and, then, sleep forever, and ever and ever.
In this passage from Anthony Burgess's "A Clockwork Orange," the narrator experiences a profound revelation about the reality of his existence. He contemplates the idea of ending his life as a means of escape from the harshness and cruelty of the world around him. The notion of seeking relief from suffering through death is expressed with a sense of finality, emphasizing the weight of his despair.
The narrator perceives death as a way to find peace after a brief moment of pain, highlighting a longing for eternal rest. This thought encapsulates his struggle with the violence and moral ambiguity of life, suggesting that, for him, the idea of "snuffing it" becomes a tempting solution to liberate himself from the unforgiving nature of his surroundings.