The Role of Ego in Margayya’s Fall in the Financial Expert -A Psychological Approach

Abstract

Ego is one of the most important elements in human personality and although everyone has ego, people manage their ego differently. Some people take it very seriously and act in a way to retaliate, if their ego is hurt while others think and balance their ego before it builds aggression which would bring their own downfall. Since people are driven by their egocentric mindset, any disgrace, disappointment or failure would hurt their ego which would force them to build aggression, reduce rational thinking and lead them to engage in unethical and illegal acts. When Margayya’s ego was hurt by the secretary of the bank when he insulted him and almost ended his finance career, he wanted to accumulate more wealth. He didn’t worry about the ways and means but focused on the destination and he was guided by his ego that led him to mistreat and disrespect people throughout the novel. His obsession with money and prestige forced him to act rudely that ended his career as one of the best financial wizards. When people are led by their ego, it would lead them to their own downfall and destruction as they would be guided by lack of self-control and distrust on others. His obsession with money led him to show off his superiority in order to defeat the cooperative bank secretary and earn respect in the society. This paper brings out the Psychological influence of ego in Margayya’s character in the novel, The Financial Expert.