Evelyn Waugh's The Ordeal Of Gilbert Pinfold

People can form an attachment to any number of pieces of their life they deem worthy. In The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, written by Evelyn Waugh, the title character forms an attachment to sedatives and alcohol, using them as a crutch. Gilbert Pinfold becomes reliant on these hallucinogens in an attempt to forget about his real life. This ultimately helps him return to a better place in his life, which allows Pinfold to further his career in writing. Gilbert Pinfold begins his journey on the ship as a way to focus on his writing without the distractions of his everyday life, however, his addictions change his set plans for his travels. Evelyn Waugh shows Pinfold’s views on his life when he writes, “At intervals during the day and night he

He begins to hear people talk poorly about his books, saying “Were his books ever any good?’ ‘Never good. His earlier ones weren’t quite as bad as his latest. He’s written out,” (129) which Waugh uses to highlight the self-doubt Pinfold experiences in his novels. His hallucinations of these discussions about his books shed light on him feeling as though he has become washed out. He feels incapable of writing a new novel that lives up to the standards he places upon them. These hallucinations do not solely criticize his writing though; they also question his existence. Pinfold hears a conversation between two people saying, “Is he always thinking about death?’ ‘Yes he’ll commit suicide one of these days, you’ll see,” showing how badly Pinfold feels about his life. His mind tells him he will eventually commit suicide because of how overwhelming his life has become. He does not believe that he can continue his life without taking these sedatives. Pinfold continues with these hallucinations because he finds there to be no other option and cannot see any way to stop his addiction, until he returns to his wife and turn his addictions into a positive