What We’re Dealing With Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Pages Read: 12

Pages To Go: 966

I’ve never seen such a beautiful description of a public restroom.

It’s becoming clear that the very detailed exposition is intentional, that it is a peculiar characteristic of the way our narrator sees the world. This certainly doesn’t clear up the question of how reliable Hal is as a narrator, however.

For instance, the way the administrators attempt to describe Hal’s alleged fit defies realism. They too have a very artistic bent, even as they are at a near panic, and I find it hard to believe. At the same time, the way Hal is able to pick up the subtlest particulars of the men’s urinals while he’s being wrestled to the ground seems highly improbable.

But it seems increasingly obvious we’re not meant to take this novel as an exercise in naturalism. So I’m willing to suspend disbelief and accept Infinite Jest on its own terms.

Also of note, DFW is setting up a pretty compelling main character: On the one hand, his uncle refers to Hal as a genius who also happens to be a tennis prodigy. On the other, Hal apparently can’t say a word without sounding like a bad rendition of Caveman Lawyer to such a degree that he could give a grown adult nightmares. That’s one hell of a dichotomy.

Vocab Word: Pase a maneuver by a bullfighter with the capa or muleta to gain the attention of the bull and to guide the course of its attack. (The third different language that Hal has at least passing knowledge of)

You are reading my live blog of Infinite Jest. Start at the beginning.