Melvin Udall Character Analysis

Melvin Udall is a middle aged man, in his forties or fifties who is part of a higher socioeconomic class, due to his successful career as a stay at home writer. He lives in an upscale New York apartment and during his free time enjoys playing the piano. Melvin expresses prejudicial attitudes, including anti-Semitism, racism, and heterosexism. He made several of these comments, claiming “assault and battery and your black,” to his neighbor’s black friend, “there’s Jews at my table,” along with another stereotypical comment about their “big noses,” and he even introduced his neighbor as “Simon the fag,” a homophobic slur. He gives little background information, except for saying that his dad used to hit him as a kid if he ever made a mistake while playing the piano, which may explain his behavior. Some of his stressors include disorganization, …show more content…
Udall may be living with obsessive compulsive disorder, based on the physical and observable observations made of his abnormal behaviors and comments.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a constant condition that causes one to have obsessive thoughts and feelings, along with compulsive behaviors, …show more content…
For diagnosis, the condition must be time consuming, and it must not be attributed to other physiological or medical effects. According to Solomen and Grant in, “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” “compulsions are meant to neutralize or reduce the person’s discomfort or to prevent a dreaded event,” which may be why they occur repetitively (2014, pg. 646). Bokor and Anderson state in their article, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” that “preoccupation with