Question

quick question need answered

I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. —Herman Melville, "Bartleby the Scrivener"

In the bolded section, what is the benefit of using "from his youth upward" rather than "from an early age" or "always"?

It suggests a very old and feeble narrator.

It suggests an attitude of righteousness in the narrator.

It suggests the narrator sees himself as successful.

It suggests the narrator has a strong sense of pride.