Perfectionism In The Art Of Fielding By Chad Harbach

Perfectionism. Is it a negative trait or a positive trait? Like most things, it can be positive in moderation. Once it surpasses moderation, though, is when a problem can develop. According to the Huffington Post, there are many ways to identify if your perfectionism is out of control. One of the most important and relevant characteristics they identify is when “you know your perfectionism is hurting you, but you consider it the price you pay for success”. Perfection creates the illusion of success. But does perfectionism always lead to success? In The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, perfection is a recurring theme. Telling a story about athletes and their lives on and off the field, success is something that each character strives for. Henry
That moment triggers Henry’s collapse of success and confidence. Henry’s inability to accept a single error sabotages his success as a baseball player and negatively affects his self-image. Henry is especially self-conscious playing in the biggest game of his career thus far; his family, many sports spectators, and even Aparicio Rodriguez, Henry’s idol, were at the game. The pressure was on and he could not handle it. Before every throw, he searches his mind for ways he could fail: “A minute ago he’d felt fine, or thought he felt fine, but now the possibility of failure had entered his mind, and the difference between possible failure and inevitable failure felt razor slight. His lungs clenched like he was standing in the lake to his armpits” (320). Henry prevents himself from feeling emotions because he think that emotions will interfere with his performance on the field and make him weak off the field. Since he will not allow himself to process his feelings off the field, his anxieties envelop him while he is trying to play. Because he is so consumed by the thought of failing, he does not give himself a chance to thrive. He does not care whether or not he could possibly fail, the fact that failure is on his mind indicates instant failure for Henry. When the narrator says, ‘His lungs clenched like he was standing in the
He can never completely give up control over himself, even when he is trying to relax and reflect, because he is fearful of what will happen if he lets go. Baseball was where he would let go entirely, but when his perfection in baseball became routine, he started to make errors. Henry does not want to become comfortable with the feeling of freedom again because he doesn’t want to fail again. During the game, Henry felt like he was ‘standing in the lake to his armpits’ and now, that is exactly what he’s doing. The water is allowing him to move freely, whether he wants to or not, but wearing the vest recreates the restriction he felt while on the field, but in a completely different circumstance. In essence, Henry is recreating the horrible feeling he experienced during the game, but in a new environment, ultimately giving it new meaning such as a rebirth of himself. While this rebirthing is an act of growth, Henry quickly loses sight of himself and falls into a state of paralyzing