Post 6

After having completed the book, I realize that I am not too fond of the narrator's character. He has continuously proved that he is a selfish man, most prominently when he goes on a rant about how he was laughing at Liza, rather than attempting to console and comfort her. I think he does this because he wants to spare his own feelings because he does not want to get hurt by others; he would rather have others feeling vulnerable. It becomes clear earlier on in the story that the narrator had a bad childhood, where he was consistently ridiculed and teased by his schoolmates. These torments may have led him to put up a wall, which in turn could have led to his isolation from society. I also believe that this defense mechanism is the reason behind his need to feel superior over others. If he feels inferior to someone, then it is much easier for him to get hurt by that person belittling him. The narrator's strive for superiority is demonstrated when he is explaining his encounter with Liza, saying that, "Power, power was what I wanted then, sport was what I wanted, I wanted to wring out your tears, your humiliation, your hysteria-that was what I wanted then!" (85).