Egoistic Thought In David Foster Wallace's This Is Water

David Foster Wallace, in his commencement speech, “This Is Water,” argues that reaching contentment in life requires a cessation from egoistic thought. Wallace supports his argument by his use of hypothetical anecdotes, shocking diction, and first person point of view so that he can show that self-imposed misery is borne out of self-centered thinking. The author’s purpose is to provide an alternative way of thinking so that individuals are more aware of their mindset during life’s daily, menial tasks. The author writes in a cautionary tone for graduating college seniors who are preparing to enter the world. In his speech, Wallace first uses hypothetical anecdotes in order to show the effect of self-centered thought on one’s happiness. Wallace begins his first example by talking about a typical day in a working adult’s life. He states that, after getting

When talking about the various, everyday tasks that typically bring out frustration, Wallace says that, “…traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think…I’m going to be pissed and miserable…” (235). Wallace uses this first person point of view in order to personalize his assertion that discontentment follows thinking about oneself first. By presenting himself as a fellow perpetrator of self-centeredness, Wallace is better able to relate his point by bringing himself to a more human level. In doing so, he is able to emphasize the extent to which egoistic thinking reaches by showing himself as one who also struggles to break the grasp of thinking about oneself. Wallace demonstrates that, in order to become content in one’s life, the cessation of egoistic thought is necessary and that anyone can succumb to the natural state of human