The Pleasure Principle

 

Narcissism 101

Here is an assessment of protagonist and antagonist character’s whose most prominent trait similarities was selfishness. Their total lack of regard for the feelings of others in their social circles is blatant. Each believing they are God’s gift to the world; above the circumstances in which they find themselves. Most of their decisions are guided by narcissism and a deep underlying sense of entitlement. They believe the world and everyone in it revolves around them. Family, friends and acquaintances’ alike are of little to no consequence. Thru indifference, decease, desperation and guilt they mask the absolute selfish mandate that has become mortis operandi. Void of consideration loved ones are made to suffer; victimized by individuals led by their Id and ruled by the pleasure principal.

Last Night

In James Salter’s’ Last Night the author shoots and scores a hat trick. A trifecta of characters bathed in selfishness only to be outdone by one another. Marit; once a beautiful and eloquent aristocrat was reduced to an unrecognizable shadow of her former self. Ravished by cancer and unwilling to continue in this state; she decides this current existence is no longer worth fighting for. Her reflection no longer resembles the one of her youth. Everyday tasks that once were done with ease and grace were becoming more difficult every new waking morning. Thoughts of death were welcoming. Natural thresholds of pain tolerance have left her exhausted, defeated and feels it is necessary to self impose an expiration date. Marit embraced the concept of afterlife in order to sooth the discomfort she was experiencing. She perceived this battle with cancer lost and continuing to live like this was beyond undignified. She convinces herself euthanasia has somehow become dying with dignity rather than the cowards’ exit it is. Anywhere else in civilized society it is called suicide and is only considered humane when done to animals. On top of that she wants her husband to administer the poison, in the house they shared after a night of wine and reminiscing; leaving Walter to deal with the corpse of his wife dressed to the tee’s and all the questions and implications that were sure to ensue following this episode Doctor Kevorkian’s’ best of. Selfish decisions; leave Walter to pick up the pieces.

   Euthanasia

Walter is far from an innocent in this suicide triangle of love. He had reservations up until moments before the injection. Reevaluating the ethical and moral crossroads in which he stood. He contemplated numerous scenarios of dropping the poison while his hands trembled from the fear and guilt of murdering a woman he had sworn an oath of commitment to. His conscious pulling at him and pleading for better judgment to prevail. When Marit attempts to reassure him that this is the correct choice, his selfishness begins its’ rise to the surface. She reaches for his hand, “it frightens him as if it might mean an appeal to come with her” (Salter, 6).

                                        Man UP!

His wife is about to be sacrificed to the Gods with promises of a more fruitful journey lying ahead; and he flinches. This night has been planned for days if not weeks in advance. Every detail of this process must have been gone over and debated rigorously so that errors would be avoided. He should have better prepared for the inevitability that in the fading minutes of her life Marit might have raised some uncomfortable topics or posed a few awkward inquiries’.  He definitely should have abstained from the spirits until afterwards. A sober mind would have at the least steadied his hands and his pusillanimous misgivings. His haphazard management of Marits’ euthanizing is a prelude to more narcissistic behavior. He does not express esteem or reverence towards Marit. There is not any great reflection. There is no sense of a deeply shared love and understanding. Instead of mourning his lover; he runs to embrace the bosom of another woman before her corpse has cooled. Aroused by the ordeal; he devours Susanna with the same fingertips that were only moments removed from carrying out a death sentence.  Walter in the end governs his emotions based on his own self interests; disregarding all involved exhibiting unforgivable nefariousness qualities. If he did not have Susanna as an alternative companion; his choices concerning Marit might have been different.

Love Triangle: The Affair

Susanna’s complicity rivals that of Marit and Walter in this caper. This skeezer chaperones Marit around town toasting to the memories; drinking her wine, eating her food, all the while anxiously anticipating her last breath being drawn. Lacking the intestinal fortitude to remain in the house; she retreated to a vehicle outside of the house while Marit was being put out of her misery through the end of a hypodermic syringe. She attempts to wipe her hands clean of blood and conscious clear for guilt. This Pontius Pilate disavowal of culpability standing idle waiting to capitalize on the misfortunes of others is not denial able. She could not resist picking the low hanging fruit. A co-conspirator to murder; so her selfish need to get piped by an amoral life form of the lowest constitution can be satisfied. A jezebel prancing around the house bare ass without a care in the world unrestrained by embarrassment and absent of conscious. Plenary indulgence expensed by an unknowing participant. Only shamed by her actions after the realization that Marit was still alive and kicking. Robbing her of the dignified passing she envisioned; taking away a layer of her soul.

Sealskin, Soulskin

A gregarious and desperate man sneakily steals the sealskin from an unsuspecting seal woman who did him no harm; ransoming it in exchange for companionship in hopes it will cure his loneliness. In Sealskin,Soulskin by Estes the story introduces a character so selfish he holds an individual against her will. Masqueraded as an accord and unable to return home without which is part of her; reluctantly she agrees to spend seven summers with this man becoming his wife. She fulfilled her end of their agreement honorably during which she gave birth to a son. She was visibly deteriorating and in need of her sealskin to regain her true form and return to her people. Upon the dawn of the eighth winter she asked returned to her what was promised only to hear he was going back on his word. After seven years; he still could not find the love and decency necessary to set aside his selfish notions and place another person’s concerns above his own. He scorned her; placing blame solely at her feet. Suggesting that she was being selfish and left to her own devices she would abandon him and her son. Similar to the caged bird in the Captive:

“I am thinking that in a moment of neglect

I might fly from this silent prison” (Farrokhzad, 9).

The seal woman is a victim to the selfishness of a man who takes advantage of a situation simply because he can. He had no right to steal her belongings, hold her captive, renege on their bargain or manipulate her into believing she was at fault. His feeble surrender to the pleasure principle is another exhibition of the selfish nature these characters display and the harm it repeatedly causes others.

Those Winter Sundays

In the poem, “Those Winter Sundays” Hayden writes of the indifference he regarded his father with. Never thanking him for the hard work and endless labor of love he endured to provide his family with comfort. Looking back; he recognized the painstaking efforts his father tolerated so his children were not inconvenienced. His father rose early every morning of his life, Sundays included. The implication being that there were no days off for a daddy. Though his reflections were apologetic his actions were selfish none the less. Taking for granted the very man who polished his good shoes and woke extra early in the blue black of Sunday mornings to warm the house before he rose from bed.

“What did I know, what did I know

of love’s austere and lonely offices?” (Hayden, 13).

Youth is Wasted on the Young

Intentions are clearer in retrospect. When reminiscing; the actions of loved ones’ hold a different meaning. Experienced eyes recall the past with a matured prospective. Youth is wasted on the young because selfish tendencies cloud judgment and blind the self-centered from the harm it causes others. All the advice not taken and guidance ignored were warnings of danger born from a love indescribable but trivialized as chronic angers. If he had not been so small minded, he could have shown appreciation to his father; acknowledging the affection and sacrifice he made in the living years so that gratitude could have properly been paid. God knows; a father needs some recognition from time to time.

The Pura Principle

Junot Diaz weaves a tangled web of self consumed characters motivated primarily by self interests. Cloaking their intentions with words of altruism and exploiting decease to excuse cupboard love. In Rafas’ past he played the part of Lothario; proving this selfish behavior did not manifest post diagnosis. Long before he landed on cancer planet; back in the Campos; Rafa was pissy and dissatisfied. Rafa grows increasingly erratic unable to handle mortality with any sort of composure. His mother; Dios la bendiga; cared for this chooche beyond measure and he rewarded her with stretching his physical capacity to exhaustion and near death. Making her plead with him to act rationally and take better precautions when concerning his heath. Mami’s rosary was probably worn to the strings from the pressure and perspiration of her fingertips clenching the beads with a vice grip; praying for divine intervention. When his strength faded from fools errands and he was regulated to couch duty; humble pie should have been the special of the day. Not for this mope; the mamaluke decides instead to take a shit all over the Amor de una Madre.

Looks Like Rain?

Now on the couch in her living room enjoying the television Mami provided and paid for; was an individual Rafa was being influenced by, led astray and it enraged her. Mami’s open contempt of Puta created more tension than what was needed in an already strained environment. As long as he was getting what he wanted; Rafa could give a fuck how Puras’ presence affected his brother or mother. Mister I am no longer papi chulo so the people who love me most and take care of me get golden showers.

 

Mama’s Boy

Mamis’ patience eventually broke and she evicted Rafa and Puta. Rather than apologizing and doing a mea culpa he stoops even lower. The man who spoke of character and staying busy while staring death in the eyeballs; plummeted to bowels of the earth. Mami’s eldest mijo begins pilfering her property to support his gold digging floozy; hell bent on accomplishing her mission even if it means scorching the earth in the process. Rafa was engaging in a solipsistic culture of deception and ineptitude; at the expense of family, taking advantage of Mami’s undying love and loyalty while remaining selfish to the bitter end.

The World Is Yours

Pura is the most openly selfish character discussed thus far. The honesty about her intentions and expectations are pardonable. When most people were practiced in deception and disingenuous; Pura’s practical approach to a relationship with Rafa is refreshing. There are no false pretenses. Time is of the essence and traditional courtships are thrown out the window when death sentences have been handed down. The circumstances of her existence give rise to sympathy. She is a manufacturing of the cultural environment in the Dominican Republic of her mother’s past. A product of subjugation to a fifty year old molester; who unethically impregnates a thirteen year old, her mental development stagnated from then forward. In hopes to find greener pastures she commits herself to days of servitude to her Tia; caring for her retarded son and husband relegated to mattress of a bed. After escaping what amounted to slavery in her mind; she drifted from city to city in New Jersey giving birth to another child fathered by an unnamed Cuban. Each sequential choice she has made is to improve her life chances. Every decision rooted with selfish incentives. All roads led to Rafa and the chance of a lifetime to possess the Holy Grail. She was “mad obvious” about the status of her immigration (Diaz, 7). Her longing to obtain citizenship and securing a permanent residence for her two children in the New World where advertised frequently.

Birds of A Feather

Pura’s evident selfishness in this regard is tolerable. Rafa knew what was on the table; his hopes of romantic companionship were nada to zilch and depreciating rapidly. Marriage for papers is the one card left in his almost empty deck of assets to play. Pura’s company eases Rafa and brings him a sense of normalcy not easily achieved in his progressive stage of cancer. Two selfish serpents swallowing their own tails; one of them is facing eminent death and the other is being reborn. A symbolic Ouroboros. Pura benefited from her devotion to Rafa but at least he was aware and a willing party to her selfish ways.

Young Painters

In “The Young Painters” a writer is consumed with a tale shared with her while exiting a dinner party. Heading home in a cab; haunting images consumed her thoughts; leaving her with an unsatisfied curiosity. Reimagining this Euripides tragedy; filling in the blanks of the unknown. In an apparent submission to selfishness she authors a narrative based on the information she heard from the dancer at dinner. Guilt creeps into her conscious; questioning the ethical and moral dilemma of using the experiences of others for financial gain or notoriety without their blessings.

Spilling the Beans

She repeats this self-centered behavior with the writing of another book; this time detailing the events and sufferings of her late father. An expose he would have frowned upon. The concerns of others even immediate family are a distant second when her selfish desires demand gratification. The consequences of her actions have manifested in an overriding guilt carried on her back; getting heavier every time she thought of her violations. Ashamed of herself she considers doing the dip after spotting the dancer by chance some years later. Unable to escape the uneasy encounter because of being recognized by the dancer; she was made to confront her inhibitions. The guilt of her selfish decisions only multiplied post this fateful happenstance. She acquitted her conduct not long ago; such was the cost for Fine Art. All that mattered were the dividends provided from her writing thru literature. Free of law and restraint to express her academicism openly without retributions. Now echoes of the victims screams for mercy linger in her subconscious; frightening her. The convictions of her once solid moral ground have begun to shake; registering measurable decibels on the Richter scale. 

It’s All about You 

 

Selfish tendencies slumber in every one whether open with honesty, misguided by hidden agendas, dressed in dignity dictating death or personally profiting under the guise of art. There are different degrees of self-centered self-motivated actions taken to satiate the craving of the most famished narcissist. From hoodlums to aristocrats, educators and students, the young and old, sick and healthy; the largest single character association is their uncompromising selfishness. The level of devotion to themselves is damaging to the primary social circles that sustain their lives. Never taking into account what the negative long-term effects of their choices have. Imposing and burning bridges that took lifetimes and bloodlines to establish. The victims of selfishness are the unappreciated.