The Protagonist's Connection to the Street Girl

The brief encounter with a prostitute that reveals the protagonist's fluctuating self-esteem and moral posturing.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Accost and the Test

The Accost and the Test The Street Girl On Carl Johann Street, the protagonist meets a girl named Mary. He asks her if she is not afraid of being molested. She takes his arm, thinking he is a customer. The Revelation of Poverty He tells her he has no money. She searches his pockets and finds nothing. She calls him a dry cod. The Offer of Company Even after learning he is penniless, she offers to come with him anyway. He refuses, feeling humiliated by her pity.

The Moral Lecture

The Moral Lecture The Role of Pastor He tells her he is a pastor, and that he was only testing her. He says, 'Depart, and sin no more.' He feels a sense of superiority. The Self-Deception He congratulates himself on his good deed. He imagines he has saved her. He enjoys the feeling of being righteous. The Irony Despite his own theft and hunger, he plays the moralizer. The encounter shows his need to feel virtuous.

Night, Part III

Later that night