In the novel Fleetwood by William Godwin, readers are introduced to a character who is primarily solitary and socially inadequate when in society. This is due to the fact that he grew up as the only son of a father withdrawn from the social world after the death of his mother. Growing up in Merionethshire, he grew up with very little social interaction and was instead raised in nature and, arguably, nature itself. This plays an important role in the novel's later events, as his loneliness growing up makes him socially inept, particularly in his relationships with women. As this novel is also titled Man of Feeling, readers can see how Fleetwood's journey allows him to discover men of conventional feelings and how his character challenges this idea. Since he grew up in solitude, his journey is radically different because his character does not know how to behave in society. It is clear that Fleetwood's lack of friends growing up prevents him from having good social relationships, decent morals, and ideal traits to become a true "man of feelings"; his status fuels his selfishness in the sense that he does not realize that other individuals have feelings that cannot be read from external appearance alone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In this article, the focus will be on Chapter 11 of Volume 2, from pages 229 to 234. In this chapter, Fleetwood feels incredibly alone and distant from the world he is discovering. Since his father's death, his travels have left him emptier and more alone than ever. He even declares: “My education and my travels had made me a confirmed misanthrope. I have only seen the most unfavorable specimens of the world” (215). After meeting people at a literary club, he decides to travel the continent in search of a cure for his boredom. Boredom, defined as a "feeling of apathy and dissatisfaction resulting from a lack of enthusiasm" (Dictionary.com), is a feeling that he says takes hold of him and from which he longs to be free. rid. It seems that the experiences he has had so far have left him emotionally exhausted; his meetings with the countess and the marquise left him without happiness. His encounters with society have left him feeling displaced because he's simply not used to being in a social environment, especially when growing up with nature was all he really knew. Additionally, his negative experiences in college caused him to become even more distant from society; he witnessed the harassment of a boy passionate about classical literature who ended up committing suicide and of other students who lacked kindness and sincerity. Even in college, he didn't know how to behave because he was new to the social world. He grew up in solitude with nature and his father rarely entertained guests, making him unable to interact meaningfully with others. Because he didn't know how to behave in society, he wasn't able to make the friends he wanted to make. On page 229 he states: “But what sort of friend is he whose kindness will produce in my mind the conviction that I am not alone in the world? » He has witnessed many good men – his father, his father's friend Ruffigny – but he says that in his entire life he has not met a friend who made him feel less alone. Fleetwood describes his ideal friend as someone who could feel what he feels – in his moments of grievance and his moments of happiness. He is looking for someone to help him overcome his loneliness andsomeone who would feel something if they died. However, the problem with Fleetwood is that he lacks the ability to integrate into society. This is the only reason he can't find the friend he's looking for: he simply can't maintain healthy relationships with individuals. Because of his lack of companionship and friends growing up, he doesn't realize that certain things happen when he is in relationships with other people. For example, when he enters into a relationship with Mary later in the novel, he does not realize the importance of communication – he feels like he can "read" Mary through her outward appearances rather than simply communicating with She. When he finds a love letter written by Kendrick placed on Mary's desk, he believes she is cheating on him rather than confronting her outright. Because of this lack of communication, and because he does not realize that feelings and thoughts are not always as clear as they seem, their relationship disintegrates over the course of this novel. This leads readers to realize that due to his lack of friends growing up, he lacks the ability to maintain relationships with other people and integrate into society. Although he travels the world, he still can't find anyone to call a friend – and for obvious reasons. Another aspect of how the lack of friends affects Fleetwood's life is that his selfishness most certainly gets in the way. For example, on pages 229-231 he discusses what he wants in a friend, but not all of the qualities he looks for are found in himself. He wants a friend who will care about him if he were to die, and he mentions this constantly. He wants a friend who has all these qualities, who will do all these things for him and who will care for him in such a way that if he died it would greatly affect that individual's life, but he doesn't say anything about what 'he would do for his friend. He only speaks about himself and what he wants: “I demand that my friend be poignantly affected by my death, as I demand that he be affected if I am slandered, shipwrecked, imprisoned, deprived of my competence or my peace. . He can be considerate and kind; watches by my bedside” (231). He idolizes his potential close friend, but when he meets someone like that later in the novel (his wife Mary), he does not treat her with the kind of care she needs and demands because he only thinks to himself. All he mentions throughout this passage is his personal interests and what he wants. He also states that there is a man who claims that there are a hundred men who would die for him, and it seems that Fleetwood admires this since he states: "No wonder such a man should be supported by a good mood! (233). In other words, it seems that what he is looking for is not necessarily a "friend", but someone who will look up to him and die for him. Because Fleetwood grew up as an only child, he probably received all the attention and didn't realize that it wasn't all about him. He realizes that society does not revolve around him and seems to hate this fact. Later in the novel, he depends on his mind to read the emotions of others. In Mary's case, he assumes she's cheating just because of little aspects like the way she talks to Kendrick. It seems that he is selfish because he disregards Mary's feelings in favor of his own feelings; he believes that what he thinks is right simply because he relies on and depends on himself for information about the emotions of others. He doesn't want to be humiliated, which is probably why he doesn't bring up the issue with Mary. Plus, his experiences with the bullied boy at his university probably made him moreafraid of being vulnerable and embarrassed as he was – this too added to his misanthropic character. Due to his selfishness, he is emotionally restricted from finding a friend or forming a suitable relationship – he feels that he should be the center of attention at all times, and due to his selfishness, his selfishness ruins his relationships in the last part of life. novel. Another section of this passage shows that selfishness prevents him from making friends. He declares: “I have met men to whom I would have gladly sworn an eternal association of the soul; but they thought of me without corresponding feeling; they did not have the leisure to distinguish me and love me” (230-231). He's looking for someone who loves him and gives him their full attention, rather than taking the time to slowly form a real relationship with someone. Therefore, his search for someone to love him and show him respect while being misanthropic due to his past experiences leads him to find himself friendless. Finally, Fleetwood's poor upbringing leads him to try to become like the "men of feelings" he meets, but the lack of friends does not allow him to become one. After learning about Ambrose Fleetwood, his grandfather who helped Ruffigny in many ways, and meeting Ruffigny who attempts to reciprocate Fleetwood, Fleetwood realizes that there are certain traits that a "man of feeling" should have. A typical feeling man is one who helps his community, is well integrated into society, and has friends whom he helps and trusts. Certainly, Fleetwood recognizes that they are good men and surrounds himself with good men, but cannot achieve their kind of character. This is clearly seen later in the novel when the only "friend" he claims to have, Gifford, is devoid of all of these traits. Later in the novel, Fleetwood says, "Gifford is to me a father, a brother, a wife and children, all in one!" » (396). Fleetwood lacks the ability to decipher one good friend from another due to his inability to read people and what they really are. Fleetwood says: “I don't know how other men are made; but something of this kind seemed essential to my happiness” (231). While the typical kind-hearted man strives to make a useful contribution to the community, Fleetwood seeks a friend simply to help him be happy. He is not looking to help others feel good about themselves, but rather to find a friend to make him feel better about himself. In other words, he is trying to look for a friend for his own selfish reasons. He continues by saying: “For the happiness of every human creature, at least in a civilized state, it is perhaps necessary that he esteem himself, that he consider himself as an object of complacency and honor. However worthy and valuable he may endeavor to consider himself, his persuasion will have little confidence and solidity, if it finds no support in the judgments of other men” (232). In this section, we notice the lack of ideal character traits shown in Fleetwood. If this is the "new Man of Feelings", then Godwin most certainly challenges these ideas, as Fleetwood comes off as rather selfish and doesn't seem to want to fit into society like the original Man of Feelings should . While his grandfather and Ruffigny sought to help others and connect with the community, Fleetwood seeks a friend who will respect him in various ways and find him honorable as he seems to find himself. With this in mind, finding friends is not about searching for ideal character traits to become a man of feelings, but about realizing one's own self-interest and healing one's intense feelings of loneliness. Ultimately, the passages on pages 229-234 show how Fleetwood's education.