Narcissism And Nihilism In Postmodernism

“It’s the combination of narcissism and nihilism that really defines postmodernism” (Al Gore, 2002). Discuss in relation to Octavia Butler’s Kindred (1979) and Sam Shepherd’s True West.

Philosophers describe post-modernism as a movement which took place in the late 20th century, and it was characterized by extensive subjectivism, relativism or skepticism; acute compassion to ideological roles in maintaining and asserting both economic and political power; and general suspicion. On the other hand, narcissism is described as the excessive attentiveness on personal appearance and character. It is also referred as the self-centeredness which arises from the individual’s inability to differentiate himself or herself from young babies, features of mental disabilities and external objects. Nihilism then refers to the rejection of moral principles and religious morals believing that life has no meaning. Nihilism, therefore, refers to the state of social disorder and narcissism describes the state of extreme attentiveness. Al Gore (2002) quote that states that “It’s the combination of narcissism and nihilism that defines postmodernism” is therefore correct because their meanings relate closely. The paper will describe more on narcissism and nihilism in postmodernism.

Butler (1979) brings a postcolonial understanding of the topic which helps in bearing on the options inherent but still unrealized in the contemporary Narcissism and nihilism in postmodernism.

America. “Kindred” has information on the historical slave narrative but some say that it is a novel which has science fiction. The story explores some problems with literacy in antagonism to the quality of oppression, violence, and possession (Shooshtarian, 2013). Form and content intersect in the book because the veiling temporal boundaries blur the belief of servitude transcended. The book also talks about the plausible relationships and past actions which helps in filling in the gaps that may arise in traditional slave narratives. Butler assumes that non-western historical conceptualization where history is described as non-linear and cyclical. This helps to give a demonstration of how different forms of gender and race oppression existed in the 20th century and years beyond this century.

The novel describes that the people who were colonized by Europeans gained some political freedom, but they continued to live with a negative cultural and economic legacy of imperialism. The people had a sense of nihilism and narcissism which equals the concept of postmodernization. The writer state that colonization was coupled with a period of subduction and slavery in America. Butler describes that the colonization continued to lives of the colonized even after the colonization (Moore, 2004). In the novel, Butler (1979) comments that “I was poor, black, the daughter of a shoeshine man and a maid” which demonstrates that she was attentive about herself.  The writer indicates that the postcolonial perspective acknowledges only the changes in the ruling system but do not release the colonized from the effects of racism.

Some things were taken for granted during the 20th century but they affected the people who were colonized. The novel can be described as a postmodern slave chronicle and represents a contemporary trial to reevaluate and convey the reality of the things that slaves underwent according to the previous historical writings on slavery (Adams, 2000). Butler incorporates postmodern narrative criticizing the belief that psychological and historical slavery can be overwhelmed. The novel gives an idea on the postmodern and other modern perspectives concerning continuity and time. In the book, Butler begins with a story about Dana who was a black woman who lived in Los Angeles (Yaszek, 2003). Dana experiences the past after traveling to the past, and this allows her to discover how the past appeared. Dana saw that some various social constructs separated the blacks and whites and this made them bound by violence and love. The novel shows that there was widespread enslavement in the past and people were filled with physical and emotional scars. Dana used to travel to the South and Butler state that this gave her “solid evidence” to help her in understanding her past.

Relevance to Octavia Butler’s Kindred

Many authors have not succeeded in this, but Butler gives the reader a chance to understand the past. The book also helps the reader to see that characters are human without basing them in regards to skin color. According to scholars Most people cannot narrate about their past because their past is harrowing. Some writers try to explain their history and other related stories to deal with the pain, but the world does not understand these aspects. Others also lack support from society, and this leads to the persistence of past experiences in their lives. Pearson (2001) demonstrates that “the painful effects of the past events continue to pressure the present moment.” The concept shows that the past experiences in the past continue to pressure those who were enslaved even after the changes in governments.

Postmodernization is, therefore, a concept which is difficult to explain. It is because it involves different people, at different periods and various things which arise due to the literacy critiques to a level of international conceptualization during the late 20th century (Bast, 2012). The concept is, therefore, an essential and introductory message for all the students in modern society. According to Butler, the slaves have such a painful past that they find it difficult to come to a period of cultural consciousness (Levecq, 2000). It is because the mainstream history of America is relentlessly teleological and optimistic which makes it difficult and painful to articulate counter-histories that fail to share such values. Postmodern culture emphasizes that commitment and memory engagement is vital for the development of history (Levin, 2008).  Postmodernism can, therefore, demonstrate how people react to the changes in the governments. Butler state that “Rufus had caused her trouble, and now he had been rewarded for it. It made no sense. No matter how kindly he treated her now that he had destroyed her, it made no sense.”  It suggested that the slaves had suffered too much under the hands of their colonizers.

Dana faces different challenges due to enslavement by the whites, and she faces pitfalls, obstacles, and trials during her “consequential escape.”  Some people try to forget about their past, but it still relates to their current situation. Butler (1988) gives a lot of information of Dana’s background which helps in describing the different facets of the society. The society is seen as a place where aspects of Narcissism and nihilism persist. Even though somethings cease to exist, people still think about where they came from, and others endure. For instance, the ceasing of colonialism did not heal all the wounds because some bad practices still exist in the modern world. People also realize who they are by recalling their past even though some experiences are harrowing to remember.

According to different philosophers, the United States government have attempted to change its ruling by giving equal opportunities to every citizen. But different families and communities still have a feeling of alienation of some social markers such as race. The society cannot reconcile easily with its present, however, if it does not harmonize with its past. In the novel, Butler talks about the themes of emotion, physical pain, morality, fear, social discrepancies, and their meaning to the human race. The history, therefore, remains in the collective memory and in writings which allows the modern society to have an understanding of their past. It will be difficult for people like those who were slaves to healthier wounds if they do not accept that what took place in the past must be forgotten.

Relevance to Sam Shepherd’s True West

According to shepherd (1981), there are different postmodern elements inspired by the beliefs of American popular culture and life. Shepherd describes a withdrawal from the regular dialogue, narratives, and customs of character. These are expressed as the features which characterize premodern literature. Shepherd starts with a person known as Lee who comes to steal in his neighborhood. Lee successfully takes a television from the region and requests a producer called Saul to look at a particular story outline. The story is about a “Tornado country” which involves two men running after one another. Disagreements arise when Austin and Lee who are brothers argues that one scenario is hot while the other plot is tired and old. These brothers have different perceptions of the other which leads to the presence of narcissism.

But as shepherd continues to explain, the two brothers try to transform one another as they remember about their father. Austin and Lee talk about their father saying that he escaped from the life he had in the suburbs and went to live in the desert. He was a respectable and a domestic man throughout his lifetime.  In this story, Lee and Austin reached a point that they wanted to be like the other because they admired each other’s character. Shepherd shows that some things separate us, but we cannot get over them. Instead, we have to live according to the situation. According to shepherd “we’re split in a much more devastating way than psychology can ever reveal.”  Many people behave according to their altitudes which usually causes violence. Austin and Lee’s mother sometimes find the house in a mess and fails to agree with her sons. She even leaves the two by saying that “I don't recognize it at all” and leaves the two even if they convince her that that is where she belongs.

The play by shepherd demonstrates about contrasts and comparisons of different societal concepts. In the play, Austin represents social disorder while the Lee represents the harsh nature. Both brothers feel like they lack something which is in their dreams and they all want to fulfill their dreams. The offspring are the only ones who can help in reconciling the whole family which is divided due to violence. Lee comes with a story known as the “contemporary Western” and ignores the play of his brother which leads to chaos. The state brings the two into a strangle familiarity where one brother promises to assist the other one in writing his play. The two even engage in abusive where Austin calls Lee a thief by saying “After you break into people's houses and take their televisions?” the quote suggests that the other brother stole a television which is similar to calling him a thief.

The between the two people can relate to the relationship between the wildness and civilization in postmodern times. In the play by a shepherd, postmodernization may encompass the focus on inadequacy in language and instability in meanings to wholly and accurately represent the reality together with playfulness and irony in how linguistic constructs are treated. In the play, there are some dominant elements which are exhibited including temporal disorder, pointless and pervasive application of pastiche, poor observation of time, a weak association of thoughts, vicious circle, paranoia, and lack of differentiation between different discourse levels. Many thinkers argue that the stated elements are critical in determining premodern literature. The two brothers even reach a point where they are unable to come to an understanding even when the issue of concern is common.

These brothers do not have a center where they can call on, and they are they cannot also get the comfort they need due to the absence of their father. In the play, one brother asks the other “You mean you just passed through there?” meaning that he was there at one time. The person is, therefore, searching for somewhere he used to be in the past. The true brothers were searching for a societal role that could satisfy them and also a sense of identity. Austin becomes a drunkard and a thief while Lee is described as a robber and a loner.  However, the loner tries to change and become a screenwriter where Lee states that “I'm a screenwriter now! I'm legitimate.” The acceptance of their previous situations would help in changing their past.

Conclusion

Narcissism and nihilism in postmodernism are therefore evident according to this paper as explained. It is evident that people are cautious about their past and also their characters which determines their future. A social disorder which involves instances of violence in the society also has an effect on the people’s perception during the modern world. The combination of narcissism and nihilism defines postmodernism in that people do not forget their past even if there are changes in society (Levin, 2008). The government may change, but the bad things which take place in the past are never forgotten. Forgetting about the bad experiences which took place in the past is the only way that can help people to reconcile with their present.

References

Adams, J. (2000). Narcissism and Creativity in the Postmodern Era: The Case of Patrick Süskind's Das Parfum. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory, 75(4), 259-279.

Bast, F. (2012). " No.": the narrative theorizing of embodied agency in Octavia Butler's Kindred. Extrapolation, 53(2), 151-181..

Butler, O. (1988). Kindred. 1979. Boston: Beacon.

Levin, D. M. (2008). The opening of vision: Nihilism and the postmodern situation. Routledge.

Moore, R. (2004). Postmodernism and punk subculture: Cultures of authenticity and deconstruction. The Communication Review, 7(3), 305-327.

Peterson, N. J., & Peterson, N. J. (2001). Against Amnesia: Contemporary Women Writers and the Crises of Historical Memory. University of Pennsylvania Press.Richard, T. S. (2005). Defining Kindred: Octavia Butler's Postcolonial Perspective. Obsidian III, 118-134.Shepard, S. (1981). True west. Samuel French, Inc..

Shepard, S. (1981). True west. Samuel French, Inc..

Shooshtarian, S. (2013). A Postmodernist Reading of Sam Shepard's True West. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature®, 19(2).

Yaszek, L. (2003). “A Grim Fantasy”: Remaking American History in Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(4), 1053-1066.

Levecq, C. (2000). Power and Repetition: Philosophies of (Literary) History in Octavia E. Butler's" Kindred". Contemporary Literature, 41(3), 525-553.