Fezziks 'Self-Esteem In William Goldman's The Princess Bride'
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Fezzik, the gentle giant in William Goldman’s classic novel The Princess Bride, has low self-esteem. Fezzik has low self-esteem because he lacks confidence in his ability to make his own decisions. This is because he considers himself stupid. Fezzik is actually slow-witted and childlike, but he is capable of doing things on his own. He, however, does not see it that way. Consequently, he tends to put little value on his own ideas and opinions. It does not help that Fezzik has a companion that puts him down. Thus, Fezzik’s dismal opinion of himself is being reinforced. This could be a major reason he tends to view himself as dumb. Because Fezzik is afraid to be on his own, he is willing to take the abuse of his companion. Fezzik’s self-esteem…show more content… When they were halfway up, Inigo again spotted the Man in Black. This time he had just started using the very same rope to climb up the cliff after them. Consequently, Vizzini yelled at Fezzik to go faster. Fezzik obeyed, but the Man in Black still closed the gap between himself and the bandits. When Fezzik finally reached the top, Vizzini quickly untied the rope. Since the Man in Black was still climbing the rope, Vizzini believed he had just gotten rid of the Man in Black. The Man in Black, however, managed to hold on to the side of the cliff before it was too late. He then began to slowly climb upward using only his hands and feet. Since the Man in Black was still alive, Vizzini told Inigo to stay behind and wait for the mysterious man to get to the top. Inigo was to then kill him. While Inigo waited, Vizzini and Fezzik, who was carrying Buttercup, headed further into Guilder territory. Once the Man in Black reached the top of the cliff, he…show more content… The Man in Black then followed the trail of Vizzini and Fezzik. When Fezzik saw the Man in Black heading their way, he proclaimed that “‘he has beaten Inigo’” (152)! Vizzini screamed that this was inconceivable. Fezzik responded by saying “‘I’m so stupid’” (153). Fezzik then tried to correct himself by saying that Inigo had defeated the Man in Black and that the person dressed all in black following them was actually Inigo dressed in the Man in Black’s clothing. Fezzik did add, however, that Inigo did seem to gain about 80 pounds since they saw him last. Hearing this ridiculous explanation made Vizzini even angrier at Fezzik. He then called Fezzik “a fool” for believing the Man in Black was actually Inigo. Fezzik replied “‘I’ll never learn. If there’s ever a question about anything, you can always count on me to get it wrong’” (153). Fezzik has low self-esteem because is not confident formulating his own ideas and relying on his intelligence to come up with the right answer. He proved this by first blurting out that the Man in Black had defeated Inigo. He based this deduction on the fact that a man dressed completely in black was coming towards them. This was actually the correct assumption, but when Vizzini screamed that it