Steve Lopez, the author and narrator of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, acknowledges that while he is fascinated by the homeless musician named Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, "weeks go by and I get distracted by other things, shoveling whatever I can find onto that empty space on the page" (2). What this reveals is that for Lopez, as fascinating and interesting as a homeless but talented musician might be, the most important part of life centers on Lopez himself and his career. Throughout the text, the reader comes to understand that Steve Lopez (32-33) is a man who believes in himself not only as a writer, but also as a person who is able to fix things for others. He is the kind of person who seeks ideas for his columns everywhere he goes and who uses his columns not only to advance his own career, but also to do good for others.
It does not matter that Lopez (40-43) is quite honest about his own doubts and confusions as h becomes more and more involved in the life of this homeless musician. He does gain from this experience by becoming more introspective and by allowing himself to break away from journalistic distance and objectivity to become involved in the life of another. He is sufficiently self-aware to question whether he had chosen to help; a friend or if he was actually profiting from his relationship with Ayers and Ayers' story which became material for his column and later the basis of his book, and still later, a movie.
Certainly the reader recognizes that Lopez is not a man lacking in ego. He likes to be thought of in a positive manner and is impressed by his own willingness to do good for someone who is truly needy. This is not to suggest that Lopez is only self-centered. He has recognized a genuinely talented and equally troubled human being in desperate need of help. He has organized a number of groups to provide that help and has even arranged for ...