The tension between a protagonist and the society he lives in is an element of storytelling that can be found in many texts over many millennia. The story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a particularly notable example, although the great 19th-century realist novels also pit clear-cut individuals against entire cultures. Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero is a modern example of such a text; Clay, its narrator and protagonist, displays persistent disaffection and apathy throughout the novel, retreating to pharmaceutical solutions or alcohol to manage his feelings and maintain a place in society. This essay aims to discuss the ways in which that tension is displayed in Less Than Zero, including the examination of Clay's relationships with his parents, friends, siblings, and the larger world around him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Perhaps the most salient point to begin with is Clay's admission on page 140 in which he wonders if he "looks exactly like them" (Ellis, p.140, 1985). Almost all of the men in this novel are described as blond, tan, and thin, and Clay fits these descriptors perfectly as well. So much of the tension between Clay and the society he lives in is that he looks exactly like all other men and struggles to find a coherent identity (though the causal relationship between the two is unclear). His concession on this point, however, comes long after the novel begins, and is heavily undermined by what he does next: "he tries to forget about it, takes a drink and looks around the living room" (Ellis, p. 140 , 1985). This very brief window into Clay's sense of self, compared to his lack of individualism within society, troubles him and he turns to alcohol to shift this idea. It is important to remember that Clay is returning to Los Angeles after several months of absence and, from the beginning of the novel, his perspective seems to have been altered by this; thus Clay's almost solipsistic thinking provides further tension between him and society. Blair's statement that "people are afraid to get onto the Los Angeles freeways" (Ellis, p.1, 1985) disturbs Clay because it implies that he will not be able to reunite with his old friends and his old life. This thought returns to Clay several times throughout the story and becomes a leitmotif, along with the billboard proclaiming "Disappear Here". This billboard—which disturbs Clay as much as the “fear of blending in” statement throughout the novel—echoes Clay's realization. who looks like everyone else, and therefore could very easily disappear in a crowd; once again, Clay appears to be unconsciously aware of (and, indeed, afraid of) this whitewashing of individuality. While the inconvenient truth of the “fear of blending in” idea could, arguably, be dismissed as simply Blair's opinion, the billboard unquestionably represents society; for Clay, it's a big, blatant reminder of the hollowness and selfishness of the culture he grew up in and now feels separated from. Furthermore, Clay observes that "it is probably an advertisement for some resort" (Ellis, p.30, 1985); the fact that it is (probably) an advert that so effectively disturbs Clay echoes the lack of boundaries between adverts and genuine cultural elements (e.g. music videos), on 1980s MTV. This is another conspicuous element of the culture present in the novel. MTV, which at the time showed back-to-back music videos and little else except commercials and brief commentary from veejays. At the time it was an integral part of the life and habits oftelevision viewing of many young people, and is mentioned several times in the novel. As stated by Sonia Baelo-Allue in Controversial Fiction: Between High and Low Culture by Bret Easton Ellis, “the world of MTV and songs are particularly relevant in the novel because songs provide the only means of communication for Clay's friends. . this is also the language of narration” (Baelo-Allue, p.172, 2011). As Baelo-Allue states, the novel's narrative as well as all interactions between Clay and his friends are written in a fluid, never-ending style that evokes that of MTV. Clay, for example, writes: “I turn on MTV and tell the story I myself could get over it and go to sleep if I had some Valium and then I think about Muriel and feel a little sick as the videos start to roll” (Ellis p. 4 1985). Here Clay seems to turn to MTV as a sort of substitute drug, but from his tone it's clear that it doesn't work (even though his repetitive phrases mirror the structure of MTV programming). The tension here comes from the fact that others seem to be able to similarly turn to and find the entertainment Clay seeks; Trent's maid on page 44, the boy on the couch during the party in Malibu on page 140, and many other examples. Clay, on the other hand, more than once “turns MTV on and turns the sound off” (Ellis, p.62, 1985). Clay is unable to fully engage with this important cultural influence like his friends (although people are often shown to be under the influence of some drug before watching it), and this highlights the tension between Clay and society ; through it he cannot relate to his friends, nor can he relate to society in general, so this further fuels his disaffection. Similarly, while the characters watch the snuff film towards the end of the novel, Clay is the only one to leave when the film's true nature becomes clear; in fact, Trent gets excited watching it and even, when the verisimilitude of the tape is questioned, "defensively" (Ellis, p.142, 1985) and "hopefully" (Ellis, p.143, 1985) declares that it was real, while it's pretty clear that Clay would rather believe it wasn't. In Beyond Narcissism in American Culture of the 1980s, by Steve Barnett and JoAnn Magdoff, it is said that “when perspectives change, a moral order, or even a coherent sense of right and wrong, clustered around fixed foundations, becomes implausible.” (Barnett & Magdoff, p.419, 1986). Because Clay's perspective has been altered by his time in college, he no longer exists within the same moral framework as his friends, which only serves to further distance him from them. A further point to consider here is that 1980s television fully exemplifies a binary, black and white view of morality, and the viewer is always given a sense of completion when the bad guys are captured by the good guys (Barnett & Magdoff, p .417, 1986), but without any self-awareness regarding the relativistic dimension. nature of morality. Clay's life, however, is told in a series of morally neutral vignettes where resolution is impossible to find (as the narrative reflects the never-ending quality of MTV presentation at the time) and "bad" things like kidnapping a boy from Rip. A 12-year-old girl goes unpunished. Then the tension between Clay and society increases, as even his own social circle does not share his point of view, and this is brought into sharp relief towards the end of the novel, when Rip and Spin imprison a 12-year-old girl and, together with Trent, they rape and abuse her. Although Clay leaves and is therefore unaware of those crimes, the image that remains in his head as he prepares to leave Los Angeles is brutal and uncompromising: “The images I had were of people going crazy..