Shame, Shame, Shame

‘And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. [...] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’
Book of Genesis 3: 7-10

Dear Book Rafters,

Shame is a powerful human feeling and emotional state of dishonour, inadequacy, or regret caused by the belief that something is deeply wrong with who you are. It is also a highly social emotion, and often has to do with violating a common trust and 'letting others down'. Like guilt, it is self-accusatory, but arising through the gaze of the other. A primordial moment of shame in civilizational myth can be witnessed when, in the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve become conscious of their nakedness. Aristotle takes shame to be a 'quasi-virtue'. It is not good to feel shame, but to do something wrong and not feel shame can be proof of a wicked character. There is an Ethiopian proverb: 'Where there is no shame, there is no honour'.

What are the most meaningful, memorable or striking descriptions of shame that you found in a novel, short story, poem, or other piece of literary writing?

Please, bring to the meeting a literary passage about this topic that you have found in a piece of writing and that you would like to share with us!

NOTE:
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Painting: The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (detail) (1425) by Masaccio