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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Volume 2, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Victim of Brutality:
As Rebecca threatens to kill herself rather than be raped by Bois-Guilbert, Scott appeals to readers’ sense of pathos to evoke a deep sense of sympathy and tension:
‘Remain where thou art, proud Templar, or at thy choice advance! – one foot nearer, and I plunge myself from the precipice; my body shall be crushed out of the very form of humanity upon the stones of that courtyard, ere it becomes the victim of thy brutality.’ As she spoke this, she clasped her hands and extended them towards Heaven, as if imploring mercy on her soul before she made the final plunge.
When an author appeals to pathos, they are invoking the reader’s emotions to persuade them of the correctness of one side of an argument. Here, Rebecca believes that she has to choose between throwing herself out of a high tower window or being raped by Bois-Guilbert. Her pleading tone and the explicit threat she makes to "plunge from the precipice" invoke the reader’s pity. Although suicide was considered a mortal sin at the time, Rebecca threatens to take her own life rather than be sexually violated, symbolically preserving her “chastity” even to the point of death. Her words lay out a stark and pitiful choice, in which there are no safe avenues left for her. This moment is a true peak of narrative tension, because in every other situation where Rebecca has made a promise, she’s kept her word. The reader is left in no doubt of her willingness to follow through on her threat, heightening the emotional stakes.
Rebecca's act of clasping her hands and extending them towards Heaven further amplifies the pathos. It’s as though she is simultaneously begging for mercy from Bois-Guilbert and seeking divine mercy from God. She’s faced with an impossible choice between bodily harm and the preservation of her virginity, and she knows she must decide fast.
Related Themes:
