The Lack Of Identity In Bret Easton Ellis's Rules Of Attraction

The Lack of an Identity Suicidal, cynical, and promiscuous are some of the adjectives that some readers can use to describe the recurring character Sean in the book Rules of Attraction written by Bret Easton Ellis. Over the course of the novel, Sean develops an attraction to Lauren, one of the other main characters in the novel, and he tells some remarks about having sex with other women. From his own narration of the story, readers cannot imagine that he also dates men. Paul, one of the other main narrators, brings in question Sean’s heterosexuality by stating that he is involved in a sexual relationship with Sean. Sean does not regard those encounters whatsoever, which may lead readers to believe that his mental silence about sex with Paul

According to Paul “[Sean’d] fall into [his] bed. Kicking off his boots and telling him [Paul] to do anything [he] want[s]. He didn’t care” (92). This passage, definitely, allows readers to see a part of Sean that was not seen before. These words of Paul are more than a simple and plain fact. His phrase “anything” literally means anything. In other words, this Sean concerned about masculinity is showing a different aspect of his sexual life. The self-described womanizer is giving his whole body to another man. Before this passage, readers already had knowledge about Sean’s bisexuality. However, based on Sean’s narration of his sex experiences, it is more logical to believe that Sean was the active partner in the relationship. The willingness of Sean to let Paul take that role is impressive, but the most relevant part of this passage is that it gives the reader a different description of this character, a description that helps to understand not only his real personality but also his attitudes when he has sex with

However, in order to see that other part of Sean, it is important to analyze some passages of the book and Sean’s behavior. Among those aspects of the life of Sean, his mental silence about his relationship with Paul is what leads readers to question Sean’s identity. Bret Easton Ellis did a good job trying to leave ambiguous whether or not the sexual encounters between Paul and Sean are real, but a deeper analysis of Sean’s behavior proves that more than a simple adventure, this relationship reveals a part of Sean’s personality that leads readers to understand his self-described appearance. Sean’s recalls of past sex experiences with women are just a way to convince himself that he is a man confident of his sexual preferences. Therefore, he is a frustrated individual who lacks and identity or tries to avoid his real one. In other words, in the book, Sean pretends to be a “macho” just to hide his taste in men. The other two main characters of the story provide important information to understand Sean. Without those narrations it would be difficult to doubt about his self-described personality. Ultimately, His complicated relationships with each of the other two characters reveal the real personality of Sean. He is an individual who worries about not being someone and for that reason makes up a false