Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

Synopsis

Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a sick sense of humour? What is John Updike's deal anyway? And who won the Adult Video News' Female Performer of the Year Award the same year Gwyneth Paltrow won her Oscar? David Foster Wallace answers these questions and more in his new book of hilarious non-fiction.
For this collection, David Foster Wallace immerses himself in the three-ring circus that is the presidential race in order to document one of the most vicious campaigns in recent history. Later he strolls from booth to booth at a lobster festival in Maine and risks life and limb to get to the bottom of the lobster question. Then he wheedles his way into an L.A. radio studio, armed with tubs of chicken, to get the behind-the-scenes view of a conservative talkshow featuring a host with an unnatural penchant for clothing that only looks good on the radio. In what is sure to be a much-talked-about exploration of distinctly modern subjects, one of the sharpest minds of our time delves into some of life's most delicious topics.

Summary

Chapter 1: Consider the Lobster

* Summary: David Foster Wallace explores the ethical implications of eating lobsters, who experience pain like humans but lack legal protection.
* Real Example: Wallace describes the experience of boiling a lobster alive at a restaurant, demonstrating the lobster's desperate struggle and the diners' indifference to its suffering.

Chapter 2: Reprinted from a Textbook

* Summary: Wallace satirizes the impersonal and detached language of educational materials, using a textbook excerpt on algebra as an example.
* Real Example: The textbook describes the equation x + y = 5 as "a system of two equations in two unknowns," ignoring the human context and meaning behind such equations.

Chapter 3: Good Old Neon

* Summary: Wallace investigates the cultural significance of neon signs, exploring their decline and the nostalgia they evoke.
* Real Example: Wallace recalls a childhood memory of a neon sign for the "Fox & Hounds" restaurant, describing its vibrant colors and the way it illuminated the night.

Chapter 4: Ship of Fools

* Summary: Wallace recounts a cruise he took with his family, examining the absurdity and banality of the cruise experience.
* Real Example: Wallace describes the passengers' endless buffet meals, the cheesy entertainment, and the artificial environment of the ship, which isolates them from the real world.

Chapter 5: Incarnations of Burned Children

* Summary: Wallace confronts the horrors of childhood abuse, using the metaphor of burned children to symbolize the lasting trauma that such experiences can inflict.
* Real Example: Wallace draws inspiration from news reports about a child who was burned by his parents, exploring the psychological and physical scars that such abuse leaves behind.

Chapter 6: The Suffering Channel

* Summary: Wallace critiques the 24-hour news cycle and its relentless focus on tragedy and suffering.
* Real Example: Wallace analyzes an episode of "CNN Headline News" that features a series of disturbing and emotionally manipulative stories, leaving the viewer overwhelmed and desensitized.

Chapter 7: Plenty of Fish

* Summary: Wallace examines the complexities of online dating, exploring the disconnect between virtual interactions and real-life encounters.
* Real Example: Wallace creates a profile for himself on a dating website and interacts with several women, highlighting the superficiality and the potential for deception that comes with such interactions.

Chapter 8: Host

* Summary: Wallace uses the character of the host of a game show to explore the nature of entertainment and its role in distracting us from reality.
* Real Example: Wallace describes the host as a charming and charismatic figure who manipulates the audience's emotions, keeping them both entertained and in a state of denial about the true nature of the world.

Chapter 9: Oblivion

* Summary: Wallace confronts the inevitability of death and the ways in which we try to escape or deny it.
* Real Example: Wallace recounts a childhood incident where he nearly drowned, exploring the experience of being trapped between life and death and the realization of his own mortality.