Survivor Syndrome Analysis

We are often inclined to believe that we are self-righteous and selfless. Yet we are also quick to condemn the actions of others whilst being unaware of our own greedy nature. When we are put in situations that demand us to make a choice between helping another individual or ensuring our own survival, we are more likely to choose the thing that can benefit us the most, even if it goes against our morals and our perception of ourselves.

This conflict can be seen in Survivor Syndrome that is a short story that was written by Liz Jensen in 2011. It portrays the story of a man by the name Dmitri who is on a quest to capture a picture that embodies human tragedy. As more people in London become sick with a fatal disease, he must decide between helping a young boy and achieving his goal.

Rigtig god indledning – pas dog på at du ikke bliver for indforstået I de sidste linjer – husk at læseren skal kunne følge med selv om denne ikke har læst historien – dvs. du skal lige forklare, hvordan det står til i London og måske at Dimitri er photojournalist.

While Dmitri is determined to capture the perfect picture, it also makes him blind to the suffering of others on another hand as the following quote suggests ‘’I noticed, for example, that although I cared about people

Syndrome usually refers to a sickness but in the context of the story, it is used to emphasize the hypocrisy of other people as seen in ‘’How easy it is to be an armchair moralist. How simple, to talk about ‘survivor syndrome’, and to shoot the messenger!’’ (P. 246, l. 23-24). While the protagonist thinks that his actions are justified since he did everything he could to ensure his own survival, people still consider him inhumane for not saving the young boy. It is supposed to point out that while humans are greedy, they are also hypocritical since they are quick to condemn each other for their actions while being unaware of their own flaws and