his exit. Melvin is intelligent and successful in his writing career, but he leads a very isolated, rigid existence. He brooks no interruption and exhibits great control over his daily activities, including the way he walks, the way he will not use the restaurant silverware, and the way he shuts out others by being rude even though he is lonely. As his neighbor Simon tells him, “You absolute horror of a human being” (Brooks 1997). Melvin’s rigid order stems from high levels of anxiety over interacting with others. As Weiten (1989) maintains, “People with an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder deal with their anxiety by imposing a rigid order on their lives and their interpersonal relationships” (542).
A personality trait is a “durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations” (Weiten 1989, 431). The following personality traits are expressed in the words and behaviors of Melvin Udall: neurotic, anxiety-ridden, rude, angry, bitter, lonely, rigid, insensitive, prejudiced and generous. Melvin can be generous, like paying for Carol’s son’s physician, but he seldom reaches out to people with anything other than rudeness. This might be called his cardinal trait, what Weiten (1989) defines as “a dominant trait that characterizes nearly all of a person’s behavior” (431). The different personality disorders overlap. Udall also exhibits traits and behaviors associated with avoidant personality disorder via being socially withdrawn despite a desire for acceptance from others. As Udall tells Simon, “Well, it’s not right to go into details, but I said the wrong thing. Whereas if I hadn’t, I could be
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