Is the Grinch a narcissist, or is he traumatized? This is just for fun.
As we know, the Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss in 1957. Grinch is the main character in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ The Grinch takes it upon himself to ‘steal’ Christmas from the folks in Whoville. The people in Whoville are very empathic. On Christmas morning, the Grinch expects to see Whoville’s people upset. Yet when he finds the people are happy, he can’t understand why.
Grinch is the metaphor for the holiday season. All the negative aspects of the holidays – materialism, greed, commercialism. Grinch hates Christmas and everything that has to do with Christmas. Narcissism is a personality disorder in which a person lacks empathy for others, an inflated sense of self-importance, and a great need for admiration. On paper, this describes the Grinch. He is incredibly obsessed with himself and forces his dog, Max, to idolize him.
As I think about this, I have concluded that he is not narcissistic. At the end of the book, when he sees the people of Whoville standing around the big tree and singing, his heart starts to grow. He then becomes empathetic and gives back Christmas to Whoville. A narcissist would not have a sudden 180 like this. I think the Grinch may have an antisocial personality disorder. And maybe depression and Bipolar? When he was in his home, he went from mania to depression at an alarming rate. Antisocial personality disorder can appear to have a cynical personality and be withdrawn from society. He may also have PTSD from trauma, where the person would constantly have flashbacks to past trauma. Those with post-traumatic stress can appear selfish and narcissistic. They can be angry, irritable, and withdrawn.
Someone with trauma can change and will embrace change. A narcissist isn’t likely to change, at least not as quickly. The Grinch also became an integral part of the community, which would never happen if he had been a narcissist. All the Grinch wanted in life was to be part of Whoville and its celebrations. The Grinch’s change of heart makes me think he was never a narcissist.
I never thought I’d be analyzing the Grinch, but that is what happens, I guess, when you are at Starbucks, listening to deafening Christmas music. I love Christmas music, but the Starbucks here is so loud that I can hear it through my noise-canceling headphones. Without my hearing aids on.
Ok, back to studying. Inheritance vs. composition.
Oh gosh, it’s almost Christmas! I don’t feel ready for Christmas. I feel excited and need to finish things, but I don’t feel prepared for Christmas. I’m not sure how my Grandma did it. She was always prepared for Christmas. All the while hosting all the family over during the holidays.
On the Facebook front, I was finally able to change my email address back to mine. I changed my email password, also. Facebook needs my driver’s license to unlock my account, and I will get my new one in a week. I may try my old driver’s and temporary licenses simultaneously to see if it will work to unlock my account. I still feel a little lost. That was how I kept in touch with friends. Now I’m not sure what is going on with my friends. Except for the ones that I text.
Ok, now I should get back to my studying. Until next time…
