What gives away the fact that Infinite Jest is winding down is its increasingly tightening focus. Aside from some brief looks into other characters, the story's bounced back and forth between Gately and Hal for the last 50 or so pages.
Though their sections remain distinct. Hal's are in first person, after all.
Actually, I still think there's something to Hal's sections being in the first person. The difficulty in nailing down what this choice of perspective means comes from the fact that Hal stars in a third person role in most of his earlier scenes throughout the book. With all the talk of J.O. Incandenza's films and his attempts to keep his audiences aware that they're watching something, it's safe to say that the shift to first person reflects Hal's growing awareness of being watched, of taking control.
That the first person sections happen mostly after Hal's "Abandon[ed] All Hope," (1064) suggests an anti-drug message. At the least, these things happening concurrently suggests that reality can only be seen clearly when the mind is drug-free. Though, the clarity of Gately's recovery bed reflections and Hal's move to first person at this point in the book adds a layer to that analysis. Instead of needing a drug-free mind to see reality, opened doors of perception are those that have been actively clouded and then unclouded.
No comments:
Post a Comment