The act of giving itself assumes very solemn forms: the thing received is disclaimed and mistrusted; it is only taken up for a moment after it has been cast at one’s feet. The giver affects an exagerrated modesty: having solemnly brought on his present, to the sound of a seashell, he excuses himself for giving only the last of what remains to him, and throws down the object to be given at the feet of his rival and partner. However, the seashell and the herald proclaim the sole nature of this act of transfer. The aim of all this is to display generosity, freedom, autonomous action, as well as greatness. Yet, all in all, it is mechanisms of obligation, and even of obligation through things, that are called into play.
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Photo Credits: Tactile Symbols
