Jesus’ Son, written by Denis Johnson, composed of eleven short stories, employs a sober narrator to recall his wild young adult life. The result is a book that not only thrills, but explores what it is like to be human. The characters in Jesus’ Son are used to amplify the traits of the narrator only known to the reader as Fuckhead. Furthermore, Jack Hotel’s character in “Out on Bail” is merely an alternate persona of the narrator and does not exist outside of the narrator. This alternate, dissociative persona further emphasizes the narrator as a young drug addled man whose presence allows the narrator to explore, and cope with his near fatal overdose.
In “Out on Bail”, Hotel and Fuckhead literally & figuratively mirror one another. Jack Hotel …show more content…
Hotel fulfilled the role of an alter ego, which the narrator created for himself to express the troubling, chaotic time than ensued. The reader has an idea about what life was like for the narrator, with eleven stories that span multiple cities and describe outlandish antics. The narrator relays the negative attitude he used to hold toward Hotel. However, he has grown accustomed to him, he says, “…I’d known him ever since he’d appeared, when he was fifteen or sixteen years old” (29-30). This statement suggests the narrator didn’t simply meet Hotel as a teenager, but began to use drugs at the age stated, marking the creation of Jack Hotel. This can be inferred as it is typical for substance abuse to begin during adolescence. The narrator had spoken out against drugs which is why he spoke “maliciously” about Hotel before, but now as he is intimately involved in the lifestyle they are friends (29). Jack Hotel emphasizes the narrator is not in control of his life, which can be seen in “Dundun” (37-42). Jack Hotel is present, but does not take initiative in the action. The character can be found in the smoking and making vague comments (37-38). He is also not in the car when the men attempt to drive McInnes to the hospital. The character can be seen as simply passive, however the trait could also represent that the drugs cripple his potential, and, therefore, …show more content…
“It seemed to foretell that these people would never be my friends” (30). The characters are used to exacerbate the reality and the characteristics Fuckhead possesses. As it is written in the first person it is easier to express by deflecting it on others. His struggle to maintain these relationships suggests the characters represent a fatal lifestyle. For this reason, the narrator chooses to explore death with the fatal overdose of the apparition of his mind, Hotel. Fuckhead reflects on the overdose, he states, “He simply went under. He died. I am still alive” (34). The death of this character shows the consequences of the lifestyle & the narrator’s progression to health as he lets go of his alternate persona. This can be inferred as Jesus’ Son is told out of order “Out on Bail” is one of the later stories as Hotel appears alive in the subsequent story and at the point in Out of Bail he is no longer married but has a
In “Out on Bail”, Hotel and Fuckhead literally & figuratively mirror one another. Jack Hotel …show more content…
Hotel fulfilled the role of an alter ego, which the narrator created for himself to express the troubling, chaotic time than ensued. The reader has an idea about what life was like for the narrator, with eleven stories that span multiple cities and describe outlandish antics. The narrator relays the negative attitude he used to hold toward Hotel. However, he has grown accustomed to him, he says, “…I’d known him ever since he’d appeared, when he was fifteen or sixteen years old” (29-30). This statement suggests the narrator didn’t simply meet Hotel as a teenager, but began to use drugs at the age stated, marking the creation of Jack Hotel. This can be inferred as it is typical for substance abuse to begin during adolescence. The narrator had spoken out against drugs which is why he spoke “maliciously” about Hotel before, but now as he is intimately involved in the lifestyle they are friends (29). Jack Hotel emphasizes the narrator is not in control of his life, which can be seen in “Dundun” (37-42). Jack Hotel is present, but does not take initiative in the action. The character can be found in the smoking and making vague comments (37-38). He is also not in the car when the men attempt to drive McInnes to the hospital. The character can be seen as simply passive, however the trait could also represent that the drugs cripple his potential, and, therefore, …show more content…
“It seemed to foretell that these people would never be my friends” (30). The characters are used to exacerbate the reality and the characteristics Fuckhead possesses. As it is written in the first person it is easier to express by deflecting it on others. His struggle to maintain these relationships suggests the characters represent a fatal lifestyle. For this reason, the narrator chooses to explore death with the fatal overdose of the apparition of his mind, Hotel. Fuckhead reflects on the overdose, he states, “He simply went under. He died. I am still alive” (34). The death of this character shows the consequences of the lifestyle & the narrator’s progression to health as he lets go of his alternate persona. This can be inferred as Jesus’ Son is told out of order “Out on Bail” is one of the later stories as Hotel appears alive in the subsequent story and at the point in Out of Bail he is no longer married but has a