Julian's guilt from "summary" of The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Julian is a troubled young man who is constantly weighed down by a sense of guilt from his past actions. His inner struggle is a constant source of torment and he can never seem to escape from it, no matter how hard he tries.- The internal conflict between Julian's conscious awareness of his actions versus his unwillingness to accept responsibility took its toll on both him and those around him.
- Gradually, Julian begins to realize that although certain decisions might be regrettable, taking the blame for them does not necessarily make amends.
- Julian experienced severe guilt over his part in the events leading up to the death of Bunny Corcoran. He felt a profound sense of regret that caused him to have sleepless nights and deep unhappiness.
- His growing guilt made it difficult for him to associate with other people - unable to cope with this inner suffering, Julian soon spiralled into a deep depression.
- No matter how much everybody tried to understand and comfort him, Julian could not seem to absolve himself for his part in the tragedy.
- The remorse that Julian felt was debilitating; his tremendous sense of guilt tortured him, now driving away some of the closest friends he had ever known.
- Despite trying to overcome his guilt, Julian was unable to shake off these feelings. Even after coming clean to tell the truth of what happened, he still found it hard to forgive himself.
- Julian held himself responsible for any misdeed or wrong that was committed, even though he wasn't present during Bunny's actual death.
- Making peace with his past actions gave Julian the strength he needed to rebuild his life and move forward despite the heavy burden of guilt he carried.
- His overwhelming shame served as a reminder of all his wrongdoings and haunted him wherever he went.
