Abyss (Metaphor)
“They are the lowest abysses, but there is a sad succession of depth after depth before reaching them.”
In this passage, Mill uses the metaphor of the abyss to discuss domestic abuse. The lowest abysses are the worst-case scenarios of domestic abuse, if what’s allowed by the law materializes completely. The “depth after depth” are different degrees of abuse, which are lighter than the worst cases, but are also more invisible. The depths are multiple levels of suffering, each with its own degree of severity. The descent into these abysses represents a spectrum of abusive behaviors. The word “depth” is repeated twice, gaining a higher frequency than “the lowest abysses,” corresponding to the commonness of the lighter cases of domestic abuse, which appear more frequently. There are a lot of horrors allowed, but they are considered somewhat normal, because they are not the worst and most obvious brutal cases. But with the metaphor of abyss, we can see that what is less extreme is still terrible, especially in that these cases are nonetheless moving towards the lowest abyss of egregiousness.
