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The scene mimics Hemingway’s bullring: raw, brutal, spiritual. When Rojack “kills” Deborah, it’s not just murder—it’s a symbolic break from illusion. His liberation is disturbing, but intentional.
The scene mimics Hemingway’s bullring: raw, brutal, spiritual. When Rojack “kills” Deborah, it’s not just murder—it’s a symbolic break from illusion. His liberation is disturbing, but intentional.
After the act, Rojack sees “heaven.” He describes emotional waves—hatred, illness, nausea—leaving his body. What’s left is clarity. Just like Hemingway’s “moment of truth,” Mailer stages a moment of transcendence.
This isn’t an endorsement of violence. It’s existential metaphor: the old self must die for the new self to emerge. That’s the price of freedom.