"What a Tragic Adventure This Is": Addiction in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest

When one thinks of the word "addiction" what tends to come to mind is a potent narcotic of some kind, some type of rehabilitation center, or alcohol. An addiction, however, can result from a far broader spectrum of beguiling pleasures than one might realize. Mike Cardwell, in the
�Dictionary of Psychology, defines the word addiction as "[...]the dependence that a person may develop toward a substance or an activity" (3). In A Student's Dictionary of Psychology some examples of such activities are given as "television, violent exercise, or food" (Hayes Stratton 9) In the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace there are many forms of addiction being presented. Not only does Wallace put forth characters that are indeed enslaved by narcotics or alcohol and end up in rehab, but he also gives readers the side of addiction that most never think about on a day-to-day basis or see on the news. Within the pages of Infinite Jest lay characters addicted to apathy, enticed by entertainment, and succumbed to secrecy. Brooke Allen writes in her review of the novel, "Most of the characters in Infinite Jest have one self-destructive habit or another, be it alcohol, crack cocaine, marijuana[...]sex, success, or entertainment" (68). Readers will first see these characters as normal until they read further into their psyches and realize that these are obsessed maniacs Wallace has created. The irony being that any reader of Infinite Jest who will then be willing to take a look at his or her own life will see that the obsessive characters within the novel are not much different from the readers outside it. Wallace is arguing the stance that everyone is hooked, be it on a career, a goal, a substance or a desire. He uses the theme of addiction in Infinite Jest to state that everyone, no matter who that person is, is addicted to something."What a Tragic Adventure This Is": Addiction in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest

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