Those are great points. To follow the argument: is a lion selfish when she kills a gazelle?
To me, the story is about individual struggle. Even if his behaviour is selfish, his life is richer than if he accepted the imposed limitations by others (imagine how boring that story would be, why is that).
In a way, he is following nature‘s rules (survival of the fittest), instead of the arbitrary deterministic society rules he lives in.
Ultimately, if we only cared about the good of the planet, we would probably choose to cease to exist. Up to a point, everyone alive is a bit selfish.
To me, the story is about individual struggle. Even if his behaviour is selfish, his life is richer than if he accepted the imposed limitations by others (imagine how boring that story would be, why is that).
In a way, he is following nature‘s rules (survival of the fittest), instead of the arbitrary deterministic society rules he lives in.
Ultimately, if we only cared about the good of the planet, we would probably choose to cease to exist. Up to a point, everyone alive is a bit selfish.