In the novel, The Last American Man, Eustace Conway, a wilderness buff, endures both financial, maritial, and family problems. He suffers from the lack of understanding from outsiders who do not understand his love for nature, he suffers from the lack of love that his father never showed his as a child, thereby resulting in him searching for women to complete him, or at least parts of him. He also suffers from family issues. As mentioned before, Eustace's father was mentally and verbally abusive, and Eustace unwittingly goes the same route during his expidition with his younger brother Judson or he loses him temper over small things with his girlfriends or fiances, who find it difficult to be in a commited relationship with Eustace.
But I have observed an even greater suffering in the life of Eustace; himself. The pinnacle of the majority of his problems can spring from himself, due to his egotistic nature. While he may be sweet and gentle, he is very strict in terms of working. Several apprentices at Turtle Island quit after claiming that Eustace is not pleasant to get along with. Upon divulging into the book a bit more, readers will find that Eustace is not just some great nature fanatic, but an arrogant conceited person. My opinion is that he suffers from himself most of all, beyond any of his family members, girlfriends, or circumstances
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When one suffers from themselves are they in turn suffering from what made them that way, i.e. nature or nurture? Can Eustace change himself? Does he have the capability to change his life and would he even want to?
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