Narcissism In The Odyssey

538 Words3 Pages

The exclusively human quality of narcissism programs us to believe that we are superior above all creatures; however, it is completely unwarranted as our transcendence exists only in our brain. We are no different than the savage beasts that lurk in the wild. Driven by raw instinct, our role in nature is the same as any other animal’s: fighting for the survival of our species. Even if it means murder. Even if it means renouncing our humanity. To ensure survival, we must only be driven your primal instincts. Despite it all, there exist domains where the laws of nature blur and even cease to exist— one being our society. Mankind has created such a societal structure that the natural world is no longer sovereign. Here, the laws of evolution …show more content…

The exploitation of human phycology was so extreme that the brutalizing truth had the possibility to destroy many people’s faith in the world. At one point in Night, Elie Wiesel describes himself in the following way, “ I was nothing but a body. Perhaps even less: a famished stomach.” (Night, 52). By using the diminishing vehicle of the stomach for his description, Wiesel degrades himself to be in a state where he no longer considers himself to be human. This self-abashment provides proof of all his other needs disappearing, the desire for safety, affection, self-esteem, meaning. This results in the collapse of Mazlow’s hierarchy and in turn, Wiesel’s humanity. He becomes an animal but his transgressors somehow remain human. As a result of the devastation, Wiesel has to deal with long-upheld views succumbing. He instantaneously curses his God upon entering the camp (citation.) It is evident that Wiesel had a heavily religious upbringing, yet even he managed to lose a lot of his faith in God. He “refuses to sanctify his name” and this, in a way, reflects how bystanders might feel in the event of not only injustice but of idleness. Images and footage in Night and Fog emphasize this, as the film portrays what Wiesel might’ve seen. Night and Fog presents evidence of humans being loaded on trains like livestock, bodies thrown in piles as if they had