Hunger · Theme

Pride and Humiliation

How Hunger develops Pride and Humiliation.

Despite his destitution, the protagonist clings to a fierce, often irrational pride, refusing charity or advances from editors, while simultaneously enduring profound shame and degradation over his condition.

Where it surfaces

II
The narrator's pride prevents him from begging for bread, yet he endures the humiliation of being laughed at by the pawnbroker.
III
The narrator mocks his own past honesty, feels humiliated by his poverty, and contemplates stealing from a widow or schoolgirl, showing a loss of dignity.