Constant's "Adolphe"

I hate to say this, but I think we've got another narcissist on our hands. Adolphe is a perfect example of a man consumed and motivated by amour propre, to the extent that his entire love affair with Ellenore would not have existed had his ego not been compromised by her rejection at the start of the novel. Adolphe wants to be loved, a condition most likely stemming from his relationship with his father; a relationship marked by suffering and the desire for affection and validation. Consequently, Adolphe relates to Ellenore as an affirmation of his self worth and of his mastery of manhood--her eventual decision to not only take him on as a lover but to sacrifice everything for him was the ultimate stroke of his ego. Yet despite the unhappiness he experiences in the relationship, he is unable to extricate himself. It is not as he might have you believe (an inability to hurt the woman who loves him), but rather a refusal to remove himself from a situation in which he is loved, even if it makes him miserable. For if he left Ellenore he would face an existence in which his amour propre must be strong in and of itself, without the affirmation of another person. And so Adolphe chooses amour propre over amour soi (surely he would be happier and healthier outside of this mutually tormenting relationship), until of course the relationship is ended for him by a third party.
And this is my favorite part because this is where the determination of his amour propre turns into a narcissistic fantasy: Adolphe is revealed to Ellenore as the incensere creep that he is, thereby breaking her heart. But rather than her detesting him and walking out on him, leaving him to suffer in his guilt, she forgives him and then proceeds to conveniently die. Wouldn't that be nice if everyone you broke up with said that they still loved you and that "you must be free and happy" (116) and then keeled over so that you'd never have deal with them again or wonder if they had eventually found someone better than you! Not to mention how it would feel to know that the withholding of your love was fatal! You cannot be lived without! Ahh, the ego goes unscathed!
This is not love story in which two souls join together and create a union that supports each individual with greater comfort, love, and authenticity. Rather, it is a love story tainted by egoism, narcissism, and social politics, all the way until the end.