How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
He felt, in leaving her, he was defrauding her of life. But he knew that, in staying, stifling the inner, desperate man, he was denying his own life. And he did not hope to give life to her by denying his own. (15.136)
Because of his masculine pride and stubborn sense of individuality, Paul thinks of his relationship with Miriam in black and white terms. To be with her would mean to lose himself; to not be with her would be to destroy her. Neither result is all that appealing to our dude Paul. But, in the end, Paul would much rather hold on to his own life than ruin himself just to make Miriam happy. You see, in his view, it's only girls who are supposed to ruin themselves to make other people happy. Ouch, our feminist hearts.