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Debi Smith Ms. Schaeffer English H 11-1 November 14, 2011 The Destructive Self Self-perception is the way in which one sees oneself; physically and mentally, it determines behavior; if we think we are adequately moral, we act that way. If we view ourselves as pernicious thennaturallywe act that way; it is how one defines their own identity. Self-perception motivates the self to be better, to achieve more, to be perfect. It creates an internal competition that fuels the need for one to be seen as perfect in the eyes of society. In the movie, Black Swan, produced by Darren Aronofsky, Nina is a fragile twenty-eight year old ballerina, attempting to perfect the roles of the Swan Queen and the Black Swan, two opposing character personals, in her dance companys up-coming production of Swan Lake. Throughout the film Nina becomes intensively attentive to her own and societys perception of herself as she yearns to achieve perfection. She attempts to become vigilant of her self and surrounding competition through the reflections she sees in the mirror, but with this fascination, she drives herself to insanity damaging her true persona. Using Kohns studies, the viewer observes the dangers of obsession with the self and societys perception of their self and how competition fuels and exemplifies this process. In his study, The "Perspective Glass" in Shakespeare's Richard II, Allan Shickman observes the vision of the eye in retrospect to a looking-glass; the eyes, similar to perspective, presents images that arent really there, as seen in the Black Swan. What the eye sees is dependent on the angle from where it looks. In his Journal, Shickman presents

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a speech by Bushy to the sorrowful Queen, in William Shakespeares Richard II, For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears,/Divides one thing entire to many objects,/Like perspectives, which rightly gazed upon,/Show nothing but confusion-eyed awry,/Distinguish form. So your sweet majesty,/... More's not seen;/Or if it be, 'tis with false sorrow's eye,/Which for things true weeps things imaginary (II.ii. 16-27). He notes, that sorrow's tearful eye divides things like perspectives, he tells her and, like perspectives, presents images that are not really there (qtd. in Studies in English Literature 217) providing the individual with hallucinations. He follows this comment with a notation of what perspective is and how it is altered. Shickman refers back to the distorted portrait of Edward VI, he explains to see this portrait in its proper form, one regards it "awry" from the right edge, at which angle the distortion is corrected, (qtd. in Studies in English Literature 218) meaning that the angle at which we stand when looking at something i.e. a mirror, affects how and what one sees. Literally, if one looks through a mirror from the right side as oppose to the center, one will see a different side, or angle per say of oneself, metaphorically, how one stands on the outsidewhat theyre looking foraffects how one sees oneselftheir selfperceptionwhen they look at their self, creating a confusion of self-perception. Subconsciously theyre trying to see two different people; who they are and who they are trying to be i.e. the ideal self, which can be traumatic to the mind. For Nina Sayers, as she vigorously works to receive and implement the lead roles of the Swan Queen and the Black Swan, she believes in order to accomplish these roles she must achieve perfection. During this process she sees two different people; her for who she is and the person she hopes to bethe unreachable ideal self. As the film advances, these two distinct reflections she sees damages her own perception of herself; it becomes vague in indecipherable, it drives her to insanity and to self-destruction.

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The self-perception of an individual drives the self to strive for what they believe to be societys view of perfection thus creating a boundless internal competition to reach this admiration An individuals self-perception is the most crude and judgmental aspect of the self. Its the voice inside the mind saying, No you cant Good, but not good enough. This mindsetthe need to be better, to be the bestis derived from the selfs avidity to be accepted by society. In the eyes of society they wish to be seen as perfect, whatever that may mean. In his social psychological concept, Human Nature and the Social Order: The Looking-Glass Self, Charles Horton Cooley observes how a persons self grows out of society interpersonal and perceptions of others. From this it is observed, in part, that an individual and society do not exist separately but rather one is in part of the other. Cooley introduces, Each to each a looking-glass reflects the other that doth pass, (185) being three parts to this concept; how the individual believes the other conceives him, how the individual thinks the other judges that conception, and the reaction of the individual to those conceptions and judgments; the individual shapes them self in response to how they believe society perceives them (though this perception may not be true). Cooley posits that this leads the individual to reinforce other peoples perspective on them self yet, at the same time, provokes the individual to alter himself, as a result, the self creates a forever lasting internal opposition. They hope to achieve what they believe is societys conception of perfection. For some, this struggle is an uplifting motivation to becomemorallya better person. Although it motivates the self to strive for better, it can become extremely dangerous and push one to their limits. When endeavoring for something as unattainable as perfection, it can take a critical toll on a person. As Nina begins to struggle in the dancing industry, her self-expectationsdriven by the self and societys perception of hercreates continuing inherent competition in the hopes of becoming perfect. Nina is to perform the lead roles of both the Swan Queen and

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the Black Swan, in her dance companys upcoming production of Swan Lake. While Nina has already been selected to perform these leading roles, she feels the insistent need to prove to not only herself but to others, that she deserves this role. Using Cooleys concept, the viewer is able to see Nina trying to modify herself alter what she believes to be societys conception and judgments of her. Though, what she assumes may not be the reality of the publics perceptions, its how Nina observes itit is where she trusts she must revamp. Nina, being under tremendous pressure from her mother and dance director and herself, thinks she ought to prove to herself she is the best. Nina, in her own mind defines the best as being perfect. Ninas conception of perfection is characterized by a retired, mentally unstable ballerina Beth Maclntyre. This damaging and psychotic clarification of perfection is destructive to Nina. Nina has a child-like admiration of Beth. She looks to Beth as a child would look to a super hero; lost in awe by their incredible abilities but blind to their misconduct. When discussing Beth with Thomas, her dance director, shortly after Beths attempt in suicide, Beth is put on a pedestal by Nina for her amazing foot work and capacity to achieve this concept of perfection. Thomas adds on to this description of this, Everything Beth ever did came from within. From some dark impulse. Its what could make her so thrilling to watch. Even perfect at times. But also destructive (41:36) Nina attempts to associate these characterizations of Beth, with herself. Her view of Beth, is a development of an "ideal self". As Carol Rogers suggests, ideal is something not real, something that is always out of our reach, the standard we cannot meet., Its the gap of incongruity; It is the fissure between the real self and the ideal self, the "I am" and the "I should. Nina develops this ideal self around Beth for it is how she believes she will be perceived as perfect. This interior-rivalry is ignited as she tries to become this ideal vision of BethNinas unattainable desire for perfection

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exemplifies and slowly eats away at the walls of her psyche. The characterizations, poles apart, are alike the roles of the Swan Queen and the Black Swan; two roles of which Beth once played, and Nina is to execute. The closest Nina can get to be alike Beth, is through the perfect implementation of these rolesto obtain societies approval of achieving perfection. Through her self-reflection of virtues upon her appearance in the mirror, Nina experiences conflict within her opposing attributes as she attempts to become alike Beth. Her mental stability becomes exceptionally imbalanced as she attempts to maintain the two contradicting personas of good and evil, innocence and promiscuity. Dressed in shades of white and placed in the room of a child, at the start of the film, Nina Sayers is, from our perspective, defined as a character of good and purity. Within her name she even bears the identity of little girl giving her a stance of innocence. At various times throughout the film, one hears an echo of the words sweet girl taunting Nina coming from numerous characters. Over and over she hears these words; her body has absorbed this and has occupied her. Shes been exemplified by Thomas as a weak and fragile little girl.(34:29) Not only have the surrounding people in Ninas life characterized her as angelic but shes taken on this persona as her own identity and has associated herself with it, numerous time Nina sits in front of her mirror like a little girl and puts on her own makeup and jewelry like a little girl playing dress-up; she simply similes with grace upon her own reflection. (30:02) As she attempts to reach perfection it becomes hard for Nina to step outside these boundaries for its what she has familiarized herself with. She believes that in order to reach perfection she must achieve the embodiment of Beth i.e. both the Swan Queen and Black Swan. As Nina already possesses the persona of innocence and she obsesses about being able to pull of the role of the Black sensuous Swan, her personality shifts to one thats more unpredictable, sexual and violent making the viewer pull away from this characterization of

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her child-like innocence. First the discovery of her loss of virginity followed by a several scenes where Nina is overcome with sexual urges as well as sinister acts. Upon several reflection of herself, Nina sees herself physically transforming, blood-shot red filled with anger, then screams pushes her mother out of her room swearing at her (1:29:22) With an advancement in the film, there is an increase in Ninas hallucinations as the film progresses. These start small in the beginning phase of the movie, but opening night brings her paranoia and obsession into full, bloody bloom; the internal competition is at its peak. As the frequency of the clashing of these personalities increases, it becomes difficult for Nina to associate these to binaries as a single entity; her self-perception forces her to believe these binaries cannot co-exist. Nina, in part, becomes two separate people, at times, even seeing a physical alter ego double of herself standing before her. (1:32:02) As opening night arrives, the moment Nina has waited for so anxiously, trained herself to perfection for, Ninas opposing personas experience a collision so traumatic, she destroys her own self-perception. Nina enters her dressing room and closes the door behind her, ready to cry. She looks up, and finds Lily putting on makeup and wearing the Black Swan costume. Lily starts the dialogue, Rough start, huh? Pretty humiliating... Nina then pleas for Lily to leave her dressing room, Get out of here(1:31:52) but she refuses with a malicious comment. At first Lily is only looking at Nina through the reflection of the mirror but as soon as she turns face to face with Nina she transforms into Ninas double and says How about I dance the black swan for you as if the innocent good little Nina is incapable of pursuing the performance. This clear line of good and evil soon becomes intensely blurred as these two adverse personas are physically shown within the same person. She physically sees herself as her own competition. Nina is then overcome with rage and attacks her sinister double. She charges and smashes her into the Wall length mirror, shattering it. Shards fall everywhere. By the looks of Ninas expression on her face, it

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is as though she immediately feels remorse for what she has just done. As the girl of innocence, she looks over what shes just done in disbelief and regret. All of a sudden the rebellious double awakens and starts strangling Nina and yells repetitively over again, Its my turn, my turn! (1:32:47), the way in which Ninas double is saying this, it is not as if shes trying to take Ninas role but rather become Nina; have this rebellious character dominate Ninas personality. All of a sudden, within an instant, Ninas eyes turn blood-shot red and she takes a charred of glass and stabs her. She then comes to a realization the girl she has just stabbed is in actual fact Lily. Once again Nina is overcome with fear and remorse of what she has just done. Just like an innocent young child, Nina tries to hide what she has just done and puts Lily in a closet but then soon enough becomes possessed by this sinister side again as her eyes are once again filled with malevolence, she then goes on to perform the Black Swan, being the best performance of her life. (1:31:46-1:34:12) Once again these two opposing binaries clash, in full explosion but somehow succession comes out of this. By smashing her double or alter ego into the mirror, Nina is symbolically destroying her self-perception. As Thomas had said to her moments before this scene, The only person standing in your way is you. Its time to let her go. Lose yourself, (1:29:17) by destroying this she is able to execute the role of both the Swan Queen and Black Swan with no perception standing in her way. Once she kills this perception she is free, free of selfcritique and judgment; she can embrace societies perception of her for what it is, the true reality. After relying on perception and judgment for so long, killing her own self-perception, Nina not only destroys her self-physically but her True identity becomes unrecoverable. Killing self-perception terminates this internal competition that has been growing inside of Nina. Nina has come to believe that she is only as good as she pushes herself to be provoking a competition. In Alfie Kohns The Case Against Competition, his studies have

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shown that feelings of self-worth become dependent on external sources of evaluation as a result of competition: Your value is defined by what you've done. In a competitive culture, a child is told that it is not enough to be good -- he must triumph over others. Success comes to be defined as victory though when the child manages to win, the whole affair, psychologically speaking, becomes a vicious circle: The more he competes, the more he needs to compete to feel good about himself. Eventually this fight turns into one against yourself; always trying to out-do what you have done. Because Nina has become so dependent on this system of living, aside from being impossible to live without her own perception, she cannot live without this contention. By killing this competition, this selfperception, she loses herself completely consequently bringing about her own suicide in the final moments of the film where in death, finds freedom. By having your lifestyle become dependent on trying to be accepted by society, you lose yourself resulting in permanent loss of identity and possibly your own life. In this race to the ideal self to becoming who you believe you are meant to be, you completely lose yourself, you forget who you were. When you are in a state of competition, whether it is psychologically or one on one, nothing else matters but becoming what you believe society expects of you, the idea of competition epitomizes this process while fueling it. The problem with this competition and goal of perfection in the eyes of the public is in the end your selfperception does not match to societies for you never know for sure how people view you; it leads down a misleading path of succession leaving you alone and disappointed. The film is in the eyes of Nina and how she perceives societies perception of herself. Up until she kills her own self perception, just like Nina the viewers are blinded by their perception from seeing the reality of societal views and judgments. People act based on how they want to be perceived in society, but if their conception is misguided, they end of alone and damaged with nothing.

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Works Cited Black Swan. Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Perf. Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2010. DVD.

Cooley, Charles Horton. "The Looking-Glass Self." Human nature and the social order. New York: Schocken Books, 1964. 185. Print.

Kohn, Alfie. No contest: the case against competition. Revised ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Print.

Rogers, Carl. (1951). Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable.

Shakespeare, William. King Richard II. Repr. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1951. Print.

Shickman, Allan. "The "Perspective Glass" in Shakespeare's Richard II." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 , Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama 18.2 (1978): 217-228. Print.