The narrator appears to be deeply conflicted about a relationship with someone who possesses both gentleness and a threatening presence. This is evident from the contrasting emotions expressed: while the narrator feels stunned and distressed by the person's departure, there is also a sense of relief and gladness, particularly illustrated by the phrase, "with all his gentleness of manner... I shuddered whenever he turned his hungry eye upon me." This suggests an underlying fear despite the outward gentleness.
He was gone. I never felt so stunned, so distressed, so bewildered in my life. But in my soul I was glad he was gone. With all his gentleness of manner and his soft voice, I shuddered whenever he turned his hungry eye upon me, and when I heard that I had achieved his perilous affection, and that I stood almost with the late Harris in his esteem, my heart fairly stood still!
I was bewildered beyond description. I did not doubt his word, I could not question a single item in a
statement so stamped with the earnestness of truth as his, but its dreadful details overpowered me, and
threw my thoughts into hopeless confusion.
In 1-2 sentences, explain an inference about the narrator based on the details in the passage, and provide at least one piece of strong evidence to support your inference
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1 answer