Ben Hecht

“ Ruth fumed silently. Her mother turned to her and said calmly, "And then you could take my place as great-grandmother, Ruthie."
My mother hates her for a greater and more subtle variety of reasons. She is nervous and tender in her presence and worries continually lest Eva will read her mind. The strain of being cheerful and kindly over irksome and sometimes loathsome tasks has worn away her spirit. Added to these physical causes is a still burning memory of the past. She remembers Eva's objections to her marriage, the scandal she created by her gossip. ”

“ It is apparent to me that all of us hate my great-grandmother.
My grandmother hates her because of the past. In the past Eva terrorized her, beat her into submission, and broke her will. In addition to this she hates her because she is impotent to avenge herself. Of late, in fact, she has developed a fear that she will die before Eva. When she was ill two months ago Eva sat at her bed and pretended to nurse her. My grandmother's eyes blazed with hate. My father and I discussed the situation at the time. ”

“ My father hates my great-grandmother because he is an artist. He writhes in the presence of her elegant grotesquerie, as he phrases it. He is in business now and doesn't write any more, and she is an irritating reminder to him of his art. My father knew Verlaine in Paris and D'Lisle Adam. He spent many nights talking with Symons and he and Huysmans once got drunk together. He was young then, my father. After their marriage, my mother prevailed upon him to give up writing. He hates her, even as he hates Ruth and Eva. ”