Heaven and Hell: Appendix 8 Summary and Analysis

Huxley reproduces here the account of Carlyle's description of his own psychotic mind. This account shows the negative visionary state once again, as Huxley has done through the past several appendices. The state described in this account finds people as grotesque and objects as unreal. To a psychotic person, everything has meaning, but all the meanings are negative and pointless. Huxley includes this account because it helps to show the power of negative visions and how they can affect those who experience them. "Heaven and Hell" places significant emphasis on the fact that positive visionary experiences are essential and Huxley furthers that idea with his appendices.