I imagined a psychic pain growing inside him (myself) that demanded some physical outlet. Suicide must have been his attempt to give Pain a body, a representation, to put it outside himself. A need to convert inner torment into some outward tangible wound that all could see. It was almost as though suicide were a last-ditch effort at exorcism, in which the person sacrificed his life in order that the devil inside might die.
Phillip LopateA personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.
Phillip LopateThe trick is to realize that one is not important, except insofar as oneโs example can serve to elucidate a more widespread human trait and make readers feel a little less lonely and freakish.
Phillip Lopate