never have hoped for: I would marry the girl I had wronged." (p.70, ll.6-7). In this offer, Abelard showed that he was out of touch, because to marry in secret was really just an insult, and he considered it a complement of the highest magnitude. As a result of this final insult, the uncle could not contain his rage any longer, and had Abelard castrated. This very profoundly caused him pain for the rest of his life. Then Abelard embarked down his last path, but still as an individual. He made the decision to be a monk. It would seem that Abelard's extreme individuality led him into trouble no matter where he turned, or what endeavour he undertook. When he did apply himself to religion, he got himself into more trouble than even he expected. In his most unpopular argument he says that even though there is only one God, God did not beget Himself, even though there is the Son, the Father, and the Holy Ghost. This sets off a multitude of enemies against Abelard, and is the beginning of a very bad reputation for him. He refuses to recant anything he has said, and is forced to his own book burned. This attack on his pride was the one to cause him the most pain. Abelard is harassed at every step by enemies, and eventually he moved to the wilderness. Abelard lived there in an "oratory of weeds and thatch" (p.88, l. 22), while other his peers surely would have thought of him as uncivil. Soon, many eager student appeared at the wilderness spot, and a school was eventually created. Being an irrepressible individual, Abelard titles the school controversial name of "Paraclete" as a way of reemphasizing his beliefs about God, causing enemies to attack him. He is again forced to leave for fear of injury or death.His refusal to conform to the certain norms of society was consistent even when his life was endangered. It comes to the point where he states, "But now Satan has put so many obstacles in my path that I can find nowhere ...
