Section 7: p. 72-82 Summary and Analysis

People often ask the narrator if his character has changed. He now comprehends the suffering of the world more deeply, though he cannot fully comprehend individual's sufferings. He knows more about suffering and helplessness since Eric's death. There is no technology to overcome death. The narrator has changed for the better, but he would exchange those positive changes to have Eric back. The Christian gospel tells more of the meaning of sin than of suffering because sin belongs to mankind and pains God; sin is overcome only through God's forgiveness. There is no answer to why humans suffer, but there is more to suffering than mankind's guilt. The narrator refers to Isaiah 45:15 and Pascal, stating that God hides his face from mankind even when he speaks to them.

The narrator's bitter friend asks why he does not...