Consider The Lobster

A digression is a brief departure from the main subject of an essay or narrative. An author will use a digression to explore a topic that is only partially related to the main topic, to interject thoughts that are not totally relevant, or to add layers of complexity to inform the main topic. After a digression, the author returns to the main narrative.

Wallace uses two types of digression throughout “Consider the Lobster.” Most prominently, he uses 21 footnotes to bring up additional information. Some of the footnotes provide information that is obviously not important to understanding his essay, such as footnote 12, in which he explains why he had to go back to the airport. This footnote tells the reader why he is able to talk to Dick at the rental car location, and anticipates and explains a question the reader might have, but it does not really relate to the subject of lobsters.

Other footnotes are digressions that add to his argument in more substantial ways. Footnote 14, for example, describes a video produced by PETA that is apparently effective at proving that meat consumption related to factory farming is immoral. Likewise, footnote 6 explains the economies of Rockland and Camden as well as Wallace’s own beliefs about tourism, two topics directly related to his assignment from Gourmet.  The footnotes are a key part of Wallace’s writing style, and, though they can be ignored, since they are literally separate from the text, one would not fully understand Wallace’s whole essay without also reading them. They are digressions that contribute to the overall layered effect of his argument, making the act of reading the essay more complex than one might think.

The other type of digression Wallace uses is more direct. While he refers to himself somewhat distantly as “your assigned correspondent,” he often punctures that distance with the first-person pronoun “I” before introducing his own thoughts on the subject (236). As an example, after he effectively shows that eating lobster is morally complex , he interrupts his conclusion to admit that he himself has not been able to work out a “personal ethical system” that allows him to actually justify his belief that animals are worth less than humans while also admitting that he wants to be able to continue to consume meat (253). The main effect of these digressions is to humanize the writer and prevent him from seeming too didactic or sanctimonious. In other words, the digressions help make Wallace more approachable by revealing the doubts that surround his positions.