Emily (Dion) Backus
Within Dark Academia, themes of destructive insecurities are abundant. Donna Tartt’s book, The Secret History, narrates Richard Papen’s inner thoughts while navigating his unusual transition into life and the murder of his friend. An influential moment in the development of his character is when he recounts his observations during his friend group’s scramble to prepare for the visit of their professor, Julian Morrow, over dinner. The change in Richard’s internal voice reflects, both consciously and subconsciously, his insecurity of fitting in, providing insight into his moral judgment.
Throughout the book, Richard alters small details about himself to seem more palatable to those he seeks approval from. When arriving at Hampden College, Richard learns he needs Professor Julian Morrow’s approval to take his Greek Studies classes. Instead of earnestly attempting to gain Julian’s favor, he changes his appearance to conform to the romanticized image of himself being one of the Greek Studies Students. He idolizes them as “the characters in a favorite painting…[or] a figment of the imagination” (Tartt 21-22). He categorizes them into boxes to make the information easier to digest, and refracts this onto his own persona as a coping mechanism to hide his vulnerability. This shows he has no problem lying to others and sees himself as more human than them. He is overtly aware of how others perceive him and consistently lies in order to cover up his insecurities. Richard is a habitual liar, as he admits that “if there’s one thing [he]’s good at, it’s lying on [his] feet” (26). Richard knows he does not fit Julain’s criteria of approval, so he lies to both his advisor to obtain money for a shopping trip (26) and to Julian about his childhood (28). He believes himself to be intellectually above the other students and constantly underestimates his peers. Even after getting into the classes and becoming a part of the friend group, he fails to be sincere, and feels as if he is preying on their lifestyle.
While staying at the group’s vacation spot, Richard looks down on their behavior as they prepare for Julian’s visit over dinner. Richard argues they are intentionally trying to appear different than who they actually are. He labels the group’s efforts as “making such a production of these dinners” (Tartt 90), emphasizing his viewpoint that their labors are disingenuous. This is a sign that Richard is projecting his insecurities of always putting on an act onto the group. He is uncharacteristically harsh when judging them because their actions hold a mirror up to his own hypocritical behavior. At the end of the passage, he describes how the group was “more practiced at this particular dissimulation”(90), going into detail about how he feels they suddenly change their personalities when Julian arrives. Instead of recognizing how a person can act differently but still be genuine, he immediately assumes they are just as deceptive as he is, without recognizing that the other students view him the same way.
Subconscious decisions in storytelling also serve to frame the inner workings of the character’s mind. In the passage, Richard’s tone is a reflection of his anxiety when recognizing he is different from the group. He reflects traits he observes in others onto his persona, but fails to do so effectively. When talking about the dinners involving Julian, Richard describes them as,
“a dreadful strain for everyone, the guest included, I am sure–though he always behaved with the greatest good cheer, and was graceful, and charming, and unflaggingly delighted with everyone and everything”(90).
The other students speak in a very intentionally academic way, while Richard imitates this behavior rather sloppily. Richard, in this excerpt, is unnecessarily verbose because he is subconsciously adopting the way the other students speak in order to sooth his own insecurity of being observably different from the rest of the group.
The change in Richard’s internal voice reflects, both consciously and subconsciously, his insecurity of fitting in, providing insight into his moral judgment. The societal commentary on human intimacy and vulnerability made by Donna Tartt in The Secret History is symbolic of people forcing themselves into boxes in order to fit in the Dark Academia subculture. Richard’s development within the story shows the negative consequences of casting aside all aspects of the self in order to cater to an image. Tartt uses her story to emphasize the importance of valuing individuality and acceptance of one’s self on a daily basis, which is a deliberate fight within today’s world.