"Deep down, I'm a pretty happy guy. Happiness is the relief of pain, they say, so I guess I'm a pretty happy guy. The relief of pain happens to me pretty frequently. But then so does pain. That's why I get lots of that relief they talk about, and all that happiness." -pg. 74


The name "John Self" says a lot about Amis' narrative character. "Self" is definitely a word that can be paired well with the character's personality and interests. The more he speaks,the more his hedonistic, sybarite, douchebaggery agitates, amuses, and disgusts the reader. Self's Connotation alone is enough to have one loathing not only the narrator, but his or herself as well. 


Of course, in the provided passage, Self uses a psuedo-definition of 'happiness' to mold to his narcissistic personality. "Happiness is the relief of pain," he says. No. This definition does not apply to everybody. Happiness is a purely subjective emotion. Oh right, subjectivity, there's something else John Self has no idea exists (or at least could care less about). Everything that happens in the world revolves directly around him. One might say that by denoting such a sensitive, malleable adjective in the way he does, that he is not so far off; however, after constant denotation of words such as "happiness", I begin to question the legitimacy of what this guy says.