What does 'the saddest of all prisons is a person's own heart' mean?

Answer 1

Nathaniel Hawthorne said "The saddest of all prisons is a man's own heart." ... it is always hard to say what an author meant, because we can't talk to him and actually ask. We have to guess. Sometimes it helps to consider the context in which he wrote... but since this question is out of context, I'll be more general. The idea of being trapped (as in a prison) within your own heart might mean that you have bottled up your emotions so that you can't express them. Being unable to express emotion would probably be damaging to a person, because that would negatively affect interpersonal relationships, and in most cases negate the possibility of a fulfilling intimate relationship with a significant other. Being trapped within your own heart could also have to do with not only emotion, but belief or ideas. Perhaps what you believe and what you want in other ways are in conflict. Remaining in the prison of your heart and not finding a resolution to that conflict could cause a form of self-torture, because going against your beliefs would be painful, and not going against your beliefs would also be painful. Those unresolved conflicts, or bottled emotions would cause a very sad situation for a human being... thus, the quote.

Answer 2

This quote suggests that the emotional burden and inner turmoil someone experiences within themselves can be the most difficult and oppressive prison of all, as it can be challenging to escape negative thoughts and feelings that consume one's own heart and mind. It reflects the idea that our own mental and emotional struggles can be incredibly isolating and debilitating.

Answer 3

These words are from Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "The Minister's Black Veil."

Original text and full sentence:

'All through life that piece of crape had hung between him and the world:
it had separated him from cheerful brotherhood and woman's love,
and kept him in that saddest of all prisons, his own heart;
and still it lay upon his face,
as if to deepen the gloom of his darksome chamber,
and shade him from the sunshine of eternity.'

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