Super Short Summary

In "The Beast in the Jungle" by Henry James, John Marcher lives under the shadow of a prophesied catastrophic event he believes will define his life. Reconnecting with May Bartram, who knows his secret, they form a bond centered on waiting for this event. As years pass, May's illness and eventual death lead Marcher to realize that his life’s tragedy was his inability to embrace life and love, leaving him to mourn his lost potential.