Literary notes about sick (AI summary)
The term “sick” assumes manifold roles in literature, functioning both as a descriptor of physical ailment and a metaphor for moral or emotional malaise. In some texts, it straightforwardly denotes illness or infirmity, as when characters are described lying in beds or confined by their symptoms ([1], [2], [3]). In others, it conveys a deeper metaphorical decay or disgust—for instance, indicating a state of moral corruption or disillusionment ([4], [5], [6]). At times, the word extends even to describe an adverse state within society or nature, as seen in descriptions of a pessimistic world or a weary spirit ([7], [8], [9]). This versatility illustrates how the same word can evoke different layers of meaning depending on context and intent, enriching the literary tapestry with both literal and symbolic significance ([10], [11]).
- And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - “Are you sick then?” demanded Marilla anxiously, going over to the bed.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - —The criminal type is the type of the strong man amid unfavourable conditions, a strong man made sick.
— from The Twilight of the Idols; or, How to Philosophize with the Hammer. The Antichrist by Nietzsche - Let me tell you for my part that I am sick of this.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Excuse my brutality, but I am quite sick of it!”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - The world's heart is palsied, sick: how can any limb of it be whole?
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - I waited with a sick feeling of suspense.
— from Dracula by Bram Stoker - For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart.
— from The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 8 of 9] by William Shakespeare - During this last voyage I had no commerce with the master or any of his men; but, pretending I was sick, kept close in my cabin.
— from Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Jonathan Swift - I don’t know exactly what’s the matter with him; but he keeps close inside the house; a sort of sick, and yet he don’t look so.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville