In the twentieth century, the concept of self has transformed into an insatiable entity, akin to an amoeba. This self continuously seeks new experiences and objects to fill what feels like a void. However, despite this effort to find meaning and substance, it ends up consuming these new elements without truly integrating or retaining them.

Walker Percy suggests that this dynamic leads to a cycle of emptiness, where the self remains unchanged, merely extracting rather than absorbing anything meaningful. The pursuit of external validation or fulfillment ultimately results in a superficial existence, leaving the self more vacuous than before.