A Deadly Obsession
Most people seek a specific role model over the course of their life. They seek someone to look up to and to idolize. Both Stan and Slim Shady never had a father figure as a child, but had someone in their lives that inspired them. Stan was constantly lonely, angry, and somewhat depressed. When he realizes how much he looks up to and relates to Slim, he becomes obsessed with the singer and starts to reach out to Slim for support. Stan imitates Slim and basically ends up wanting to be Slim. Eminem’s song “Stan” is about a young man’s obsession that eventually leads to self-destruction of himself, his girlfriend, and his unborn child.
Stan is a crazed fan who is, for all intensive purposes “sick in the head”. He idolizes Slim to such a great extent; this, in turn, causes his anxiety to escalate so much that his six month long letter spree leads him to his own self destruction. This song shows what extreme lengths a crazed fan will go for another person, the person that he/she idolizes. Stan has a fixation on Slim; he sees Slim as a role model and Slim becomes his infatuation, his obsession. Stan feels connected to him, through all areas of his past and present. In Slim’s past, he had an Uncle Ronnie who killed himself over a woman. Stan feels connected to Slim because he also had a friend kill himself over a woman who did not want him. Stan looks up to Slim not only as a musician but as a savior. The lyrics from his music help Stan cope with his life. Slim and Stan never really knew their fathers and never had a father figure growing up. Stan states, “I never knew my father neither.” Slim was independent and goal oriented, and while he may have had someone to look up to, he never took insane measures as Stan did. Stan set his whole life on his idol and expected Slim to be there for him. Stan was looking at Slim as a friend and not as a famous celebrity.
The anger that builds inside of Stan is unbearable for him. Stan...