Scott Pilgrim vs. Himself and How This Affects the Relationships We Cherish.

“Selfish people will never worry if they’re selfish. They’re too busy thinking about themselves.”

 These words were said to me on a therapist’s couch in Birmingham, Alabama, when I was 20 years old. They struck me like a bolt of lightning. Scholars and theorists have argued whether humanity is inherently selfish or kind for centuries. I’ll put this debate to rest… People are selfish. I know this sounds cynical or apathetic, but it’s the truth. There are two things that humans have to be taught from an early age: empathy and sympathy. Even after being taught these lessons, we still have to remember them when we are older.

Scott Pilgrim is a 23-year-old man living in Toronto, dating a 17-year-old high schooler, Knives Chau. Scott is smitten with Knives until he meets Ramona Flowers. Ramona is new to Toronto, having moved to town from America after a shady break-up and a mysterious past. Upon meeting her for the first time, Scott is obsessed with her. Scott immediately breaks up with Knives and starts dating Ramona.

Everything in their relationship is going great until Scott is informed that he must fight her seven evil exes to stay with Ramona. The story shows that Ramona and Scott are entirely different people. Ramona has never been dumped; she is always the first to leave the Relationship, and Scott is terrified of change.

This makes for a tumultuous pairing between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. I can go further into the story, but I want to stop and focus on Scott. If you’re interested in finding out what happens, then go out and pick up a copy!

Scott is a typical young man. He doesn’t know what he wants from life and hopes that inspiration will appear out of thin air. This leads him to jump from decision to decision and from relationship to relationship haphazardly. At the same time, he is paying little attention to the trail of hurt feelings and broken hearts that follow him everywhere. Scott uses everyone in his life for selfish reasons. He lives rent-free with his roommate Wallace (in Wallace’s apartment). He doesn’t have a job and relies on handouts from his friends and neighbors. Scott’s a mess.

It isn’t until Scott sees Ramona for what she is that these decisions and actions genuinely affect Pilgrim. Scott finally realizes that he has been behaving selfishly his whole life. He never does anything for anyone without some alternate motive behind it. He even dates people he has nothing in common with to feel valued and seen by his peers.

Scott Pilgrim is the story of a young man and his friends learning the art of self-reflection and being better than the mistakes they’ve made in their past. It’s about noticing patterns in your relationships and identifying the unhealthy aspects of one’s personality. It is a story of maturity and acceptance.