The anatomy of human emotions is an intriguing subject which many writers in the past have extensively written about, drawing sustenance from their own personal experiences and transmuting personal torment into prose that effortlessly conveys the complexities of human psyche. While there are many writers with enormous bodies of work that address the vicissitudes of human emotions, it is Stefan Zweig (1881-1942), whose meticulous dissection of human emotions sets him apart from his contemporaries. Born into a Jewish family in Austria, his writing reflects the pain, struggle and suffering that he himself was subjected to, due to Hiler and his insatiable desire to persecute the Jews, which drove Zweig to flee the country and ultimately settle in Brazil.
Living in times of such moral collapse had a huge impact on him as well as his writings, amongst which, Beware of Pity, is regarded as one of his most celebrated works, for its intense psychological exploration of human psyche. The story revolves around a young army officer, Anton Hofmiller and Edith, a wealthy young woman who is paralyzed from waist down. At a social gathering, Anton invites Edith for a dance, oblivious of the fact that she is handicapped, which proves to be a humiliating experience for Edith. Out of pity for her, Anton starts visiting Edith regularly to make up for his faux pass. However, Edith, mistakenly takes Anton’s pity for her, as love and begins to harbour affectionate feelings for him. Before Anton can realize the impact of what his innocent act of pity has produced, it is too late and Edith is now madly in love with him. The story takes a tragic turn when Anton refuses to reciprocate and Edith, unable to take rejection in right earnest, commits suicide.
In Beware of Pity, Stefan Zweig portrays how line between certain human emotions is blurred, for example love and pity. The title of the book cautions the reader to beware of pity and express it consciously in a moderated fashion. Zweig argues that there are two kinds of pity-
“There are in fact two kinds of pity. One, the feeble and sentimental kind, is really no more than the heart’s impatience to free itself as quickly as possible from emotional discomfort when faced with another’s misfortune; it is the sort of pity which is not at all genuine sympathy – ‘shared feeling’ – but merely an instinctive defence of one’s own soul against the other person’s pain. Then there is the other kind, which is the only one that counts – unsentimental yet constructive, knowing its own mind, fully resolved to endure everything patiently, compassionately, along with that other person, right to the very limit of its strength, and even beyond that limit.”1Pg 242 Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, published by Rupa publications India
Anton can simply apologize for his innocent mistake and end the matter there, but he chooses to express pity only to feed his moral vanity and come across as virtuous. His pity flatters his ego. Zweig here demonstrates how some people, rather than being truthful, disguise it with a performative emotion, thereby misleading others and entangling themselves in manipulation. In other words, Zweig exposes cowardice and vanity of human beings. Their indulgence to ingratiate themselves by appearing virtuous and veiling their real intentions. Zweig warns that pity, if not expressed cautiously could turn into a murderous weapon-
“But I think I have warned you already-pity is a double-edged weapon. If you don’t know how to handle it you had better not touch it, and above all you must steal your heart against it. Pity, like morphine does the sick good only at first. It is a means of helping them to feel better, but if you don’t get the dose right and know where to stop it becomes a murderous poison. The first few injections do the patient good, they are soothing, they relieve pain, But the organism, body and mind alike, has a fatal and mysterious ability to adjust, and just as the nerves crave more and more morphine, the mind wants more and more pity, more in the end than anyone can give. In both contingencies, there is a point when the inevitable moment comes where you have to say ‘No’, never mind whether patients hate you more for that fatal refusal than if you had ever helped them at all. ”2Pg 241-242 Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, published by Rupa publications India
Zweig essentially warns to beware of emotions that disguise themselves as virtues. It is easier to give in to flattery than hear the truth, therefore, people often find themselves in a web of deceit, mislead and manipulated, for they fail to recognize how an act of pity, compassion or kindness, afforded to them, was nothing but a measured doze of manipulation.
Stefan Zweig’s extraordinary understanding of human emotions, and ability to convey them through the characters of his stories, evokes various manifestations of insecurity in the reader, insecurities which lie buried deep down, untouched, and unaddressed. His understanding of human psyche, perhaps, is also influenced by his dear friend Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. So much so that Zwieg has authored his biography. In his Memoir, The World of Yesterday, Zweig exuberantly recalls how he would always look forward to having conversations with Freud, for it evolved him intellectually-
“Over the years a conversation with Freud had always constituted one of my greatest intellectual satisfactions. While one learned one marveled, it was plain that one’s every word was fully comprehended by this magnificent, unprejudiced person whom no admission startled, no statement excited, and whose impulse to make others see and feel clearly had long since become an instinctive life impulse. Never, however, was I more gratefully sensible of the irreplaceable quality of those long conversations than during that dark year which was to be his last.”3Pg 410, The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig published by Macmillan Company of Canada Ltd.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Stefan Zweig enjoyed an exalted status of one of the most accomplished writers in Europe, with his books topping the bestsellers list. Unfortunately, the present generation has not accorded the same respect, reverence and credit to his body of work. So much so that not many people know about him and his books have vanished from the bookshelves and the bookstores no longer list his books. He appears to have been replaced and forgotten, which is alarming. For his books carry timeless lessons on human phycology and courage, strength and determination to face our deepest insecurities. Stefan Zweig did not merely write stories, he chronicled the slow collapse of a civilization and the quiet despair of the human heart.
Unfortunately, today Zweig has vanished into irrelevance when the world cries out for his guidance. In recent times, attempts have been made to revive his works. Wes Anderson, had a chance encounter with one of Zweig’s books, Beware of Pity, which had a profound impact on him. So much so that he produced and directed the movie, the Grand Budapest Hotel, which is loosely based on Zweig’s stories – Beware of Pity and The Post office girl. The movie went on to receive nine Academy Award nominations, including the Best Picture.
It is however, unfortunate, that such an author, arguably possessing unparalleled understanding of human psyche, with ability to transmute the same into prose, has faded into insignificance and oblivion.
