Consider the Lobster

Consider the Lobster, one of the essays in David Foster Wallace's collection of the same name, encompasses many genres. On the surface, Consider the Lobster is a review of the Maine Lobster Festival -- but when the reader dives deeper it is much more than that. Wallace seems to be spouting out facts that do not seem pertinent to the festival, but the information he includes about the process of putting on the lobster festival shift it from a review into a nonfiction ethical piece.

Reading the footnotes is essential to following the narrative in Consider the Lobster. For instance, as Wallace discusses "teeming commercial demotic events" (56) he follows with a two-paragraph footnote entailing his views on tourism. He intermingles facts and his own opinions to rely his dislike for "tourism events" like the Maine Lobster Festival.

I do think that the article shifts topics, from the start the review was focused on the history and present-day presence of the Maine Lobster Festival, but there are shifts throughout that relate to other topics including the origin of the lobster's prominence, scientific information on the species, the lobster business and the ethics behind it. I think when David Foster Wallace says "Consider the Lobster" he implores the reader to question the ethics of burning lobsters alive for commodification and celebration.