The Theme, Symbolism In Good People By David Foster Wallace

The title of the short story “Good People,” implies that the story will be about people who are morally right by the cultural standard. With characters that have reached sainthood for many of the good deeds that they have done in their lives. This gives the reader expectations they are about to read an uplifting and encouraging story that will change the reader’s life. However, the title is ironic, because the character is not a saint, in fact, they face with the taboo subject of teen pregnancy. In “Good People,” David Foster Wallace uses religion, symbolism, and cultural pressure to show Lane as a character who is unable to own his sin and forces his girlfriend to deal with it.
First, Lane’s religious upbringing tortures him as he mulls over …show more content…
“Looking past the bank at the downed tree in the shallows and its ball of exposed roots going all directions and the tree’s cloud of branches all half in the water. The only other individual nearby was a dozen spaced tables away, by himself...” (150). The imagery of the man staring at the uprooted tree relates to Lane in the way that Lane is the man and Sheri is the uprooted tree. The significance of the man being so far from the uprooted tree is a symbol of how far lane is away from Sheri. Lane cannot relate to Sheri or even comfort her in this moment. In fact, at the beginning of the story where it describes what has happened to the town with the severe weather is a symbol of Lane’s relationship with Sheri. It describes how the town is slowly trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and put them back together. They are trying to clean up the big mess with the noise of chainsaws is exactly how Lane feels about trying to figure out the next steps that he and Sheri need to take. However, all he 's really wanting is his life to go back to normal, and not really caring about …show more content…
Lane is someone who wants to do what everyone has told him to do his whole life. When it comes down to it, he makes a mistake that affects him and Sheri but wants Sheri to fix it so no one will find out about it. Also, how Lane is portrayed in the story is a social commentary on males who take no responsibility for their actions. Sheri makes the decision to keep the baby, and to set Lane free of responsibility for the child. “She will carry this, and have it, and love it and make no claim on Lane except his good wishes and respect what she has to do” (154). In the last little bit of the story, Sheri gives her opinion about Lane revealing two things, first that he does not love her, second, he would rather abort the baby then keep it. Overall Lane’s world flips upside down, and he does not right from wrong. Furthermore, Lane cannot relate to or even comfort Sheri, making the character of Lane a sad, lonely child himself who does not want to own up to his own