For instance, I never complained that my birthday was overlooked; people were even surprised, with a touch of admiration, by my discretion on this subject. But the reason for my disinterestedness was even more discreet: I longed to be forgotten in order to be able to complain to myself... Once my solitude was thoroughly proved, I could surrender to the charms of a virile self-pity.
In "The Fall," the narrator expresses a complex relationship with being overlooked on his birthday. Instead of feeling upset about the lack of acknowledgment, he finds that others admire his ability to stay discreet about it. This reaction masks a deeper desire within him; he yearns for solitude, which allows him to indulge in self-pity undisturbed.
This desire for forgetfulness stems from a need to escape external validation and explore his...
