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1glowing-fish
Another thing I noticed when studying Infinite Jest recently is how big of a role revenge plays in the plot. I actually first noticed this when rereading about Blood Sister: One Tough Nun, and then the amount of revenge-inspired behavior throughout the book started to seem quite obvious. It also fits in fairly well with the book being parallel to Hamlet (although, as mentioned previously, how important those parallels are is a big question).
In the book, many characters are motivated by revenge: Orin getting revenge on his father's enemies, the Wheelchair Assassins getting revenge on both the United States and Canada, pre-sobriety Gately getting revenge on the Assistant District Attorney, as well as that Assistant District Attorney getting revenge back, Randy Lenz getting revenge on various cats and dogs, Whitey Sorkin getting revenge on Gene Fackleman, and (fill in the blanks). It is interesting to note that the ADA's discussion of his inability to put aside revenge, followed by the scene of Sorkin's revenge on Fackleman, are the final scenes of the novel.
It should also be noted that much of the revenge that people seek to gain is partially or wholly displaced, in Lenz' case most notably.
I also think that revenge, as a theme, ties in with addiction. Revenge is kind of a subset of reaction, and addicts are blindly reacting to things. This is mentioned in many of the AA sessions, where adducts blaming addictions on their backgrounds is seen as a type of blind reaction.
Which is why I find one of the most heroic scenes in the book Gately willing to take a bullet for Randy Lenz. It shows that Gately has moved beyond the mindset of reaction and revenge, and is willing to sacrifice himself for someone who, in many ways, doesn't deserve it.
Of course, Hal isn't motived by revenge, or anything else, for that matter...
In the book, many characters are motivated by revenge: Orin getting revenge on his father's enemies, the Wheelchair Assassins getting revenge on both the United States and Canada, pre-sobriety Gately getting revenge on the Assistant District Attorney, as well as that Assistant District Attorney getting revenge back, Randy Lenz getting revenge on various cats and dogs, Whitey Sorkin getting revenge on Gene Fackleman, and (fill in the blanks). It is interesting to note that the ADA's discussion of his inability to put aside revenge, followed by the scene of Sorkin's revenge on Fackleman, are the final scenes of the novel.
It should also be noted that much of the revenge that people seek to gain is partially or wholly displaced, in Lenz' case most notably.
I also think that revenge, as a theme, ties in with addiction. Revenge is kind of a subset of reaction, and addicts are blindly reacting to things. This is mentioned in many of the AA sessions, where adducts blaming addictions on their backgrounds is seen as a type of blind reaction.
Which is why I find one of the most heroic scenes in the book Gately willing to take a bullet for Randy Lenz. It shows that Gately has moved beyond the mindset of reaction and revenge, and is willing to sacrifice himself for someone who, in many ways, doesn't deserve it.
Of course, Hal isn't motived by revenge, or anything else, for that matter...
2MeditationesMartini
"I also think that revenge, as a theme, ties in with addiction. Revenge is kind of a subset of reaction, and addicts are blindly reacting to things."
Really well said. It's what makes Gately a hero and Hal a mere protagonist.
Really well said. It's what makes Gately a hero and Hal a mere protagonist.
