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Infinite Jest by D.F. Wallace, WEEK 15
Ha! You still have time to catch us up, Zulfiya. We are always a lot further along than Goodreads thinks in its status updates, because of thickness of the footnotes section :-)I haven't finished this section yet, but OMG there is a WONDERFUL long section with Don Gately helplessly hearing 'sharing' from various people while unable to reply, in hospital, what a treat :-)
and an ex porn star called Calvin Thrust, LOL
plus the full story of Joelle's deformity - you guys were so right on that one ...
All in all, Joelle's Thanksgiving experiences made me feel glad we don't have that particular holiday in the UK :-)
Ha Rosemary! I'm 86% done, not 78%!!! :)I just finished this section today. LOTS of stuff to talk about!! So much information dished out to us.
The Joelle facial incident, and all of her background.
Mario's possible parentage (unless I'm TOTALLY mistaken, this could explain a lot of Orin's refusal to talk to the Moms and his hate for Mario, AND why Avril has John Wayne dress up in Orin's football gear??!), I need to find the passages that support this.
The Don Gately section, like Rosemary said, was great. I loved all those stories from his housemates. Plus his in and out of consciousness throughout was very visual.
And then the absolutely weird dreamlike stuff that started happening to Gately. At first I thought it was funny, then I started flipping ahead to see how many pages of this I was in for. AND THEN....to find out who the "wraith" was?? All of a sudden I snapped to attention when I realized it. Not that I can even begin to understand how this wraith would visit DG in his dreams, but it seems we have finally reached the point of more characters finally intersecting and coming together!
I need to have my book with me to comment more fully, so until then...
Oh, and "speculum party"??! I almost choked laughing when I read that phrase! I guess that's one way to look at an unpleasant medical exam.
Linda wrote: "Mario's possible parentage (unless I'm TOTALLY mistaken, this could explain a lot of Orin's refusal to talk to the Moms and his hate for Mario, AND why Avril has John Wayne dress up in Orin's football gear??!), I need to find the passages that support this."YUP YUP YUP YUP!!! HOLY SH*T!!! But I have several of these passages marked, so let me post them (hopefully tonight) before you search through the whole book! I cannot wait to get into this discussion! I was reading this JAW-DROPPED!!!
The funny thing is that I have been looking forward to Joelle's story for so long (and dreading we wouldn't ever find out for sure!!), but after the section with Mario I was just too mind-blown to give it the thought it deserves. By the time the wraith appeared, it was almost too much for one week...especially considering we had an entire week of a puppet show... :-)
More to come tonight when I am by my notes, but what a great section. I am so glad to see things finally coming together!!
in and out of conscientiousnessThat is so cool. I don't know if you did it deliberately, instead of in and out of consciousness ... but it's so like something one of DFW's multiple narrators would say :-)
and also, totally true, since Don is nothing if not conscientious, when conscious :-)
Kaycie wrote: "YUP YUP YUP YUP!!! HOLY SH*T!!!"That's the part that I thought to myself "did I just read that right???!!". My jaw dropped too. Just when you think DFW has pushed all the limits, he finds another. I was NOT expecting that at all!
Rosemary wrote: "in and out of conscientiousnessThat is so cool. I don't know if you did it deliberately, instead of in and out of consciousness ... but it's so like something one of DFW's multiple narrators woul..."
Oh my, no, I did not do that on purpose. And I noticed my mistake and edited my post before I actually read your post, and I misspelled it again! I just edited it again. I have problems spelling that word every time, for some reason.
Kaycie wrote: "By the time the wraith appeared, it was almost too much for one week"I know, right?! And I agree with the Joelle part, it was almost completely overshadowed by the Mario bit. And the Mario info could easily have been missed if you happen to read while tired...
Thanks in advance for posting those passages. I got lazy in not underlining and dogearing lately.
Oh no ... what Mario bit?I am not finished, but I read the Joelle Thanksgiving story.
I do not remember anything about Mario before that ... was I the tired one who missed it?
(I am up to page 827)
Rosemary wrote: "Oh no ... what Mario bit?I am not finished, but I read the Joelle Thanksgiving story.
I do not remember anything about Mario before that ... was I the tired one who missed it?
(I am up to page ..."
Rosemary, it was in the first 10 pages of this week's section...there are a few lines indicating that Orin and Avril had an incestuous sexual relationship, and Linda and I are speculating on Mario's parentage based on this. When I get home from work tonight, I'll try and post the quotes and pages so people can go back and read this. It just makes so many other parts of the story make sooo much more sense, like Linda indicated in her first post here.
But yes, Linda, pretty much everything in this section was overshadowed by the stuff about Mario! I was just reeling!
Rosemary wrote: "Oh no ... what Mario bit?I am not finished, but I read the Joelle Thanksgiving story"
It was easy to miss. It was somewhere within all the Joelle stuff (the real reason Himself committed suicide). It didn't say "Mario" specifically, but talked about Avril and Orin - that when teased apart perhaps leads you to Mario - that Orin is Mario's father. But again, it doesn't say specifically. That's why I wasn't 100% sure when I first read it.
Then later, there is a part during the Don Gately bit (I don't think you've come to yet), (I won't say specifically what is said, but just in case you don't want to read it I will put it in a spoiler tag)(view spoiler).
Sorry, I don't have page numbers right now.
Ah, OK! Yes, I guessed about the incest, but I thought Orin was too young to be Mario's father.Could he be Hal's???
Linda - I am pretty sure I have both of those passages marked, so I will add them later! I can't wait to see what Rosemary thinks!I definitely read it like 5 times trying to figure out what else it COULD mean, and really couldn't come up with anything. It makes so much sense now!!! Even think of Orin's behavior...his "conquests" of so many women can be a sign of early abuse! His hatred of his mother, his refusal to acknowledge Mario's existence...
Rosemary wrote: "Ah, OK! Yes, I guessed about the incest, but I thought Orin was too young to be Mario's father.Could he be Hal's???"
I don't think so. You'll see why when you finish this week's section.
Oh, it also took me awhile to figure out that Don Gately's roommate in the hospital room was Otis P. Lord, I'm assuming. He kept describing him as a person with a box on his head that he couldn't figure out.
OK! Will finish tomorrow and not look here again until then! :-)
Kaycie wrote: "It makes so much sense now!!! Even think of Orin's behavior...his "conquests" of so many women can be a sign of early abuse! His hatred of his mother, his refusal to acknowledge Mario's existence..."I know! When I went through all of the odd behavior that we knew about, it all just made sense. It was so satisfying. :)
Rosemary wrote: "Ah, OK! Yes, I guessed about the incest, but I thought Orin was too young to be Mario's father.Could he be Hal's???"
I thought the ages of the brothers went: Orin, Hal, Mario...meaning that Orin would be most likely the father. Is this right?
And Linda, you might have caught something I didn't! I can't wait to see if there is a line that you have that I don't post later!
No, Mario is older than Hal. I did not get that it was Otis P. Lord in the other bed! That just made me laugh out loud!
Definitely going to sign out now and not look again until tomorrow.
Kaycie wrote: "I thought the ages of the brothers went: Orin, Hal, Mario...meaning that Orin would be most likely the father. Is this right?"I thought it went Orin, Mario, Hal. I know Orin is at least 10 years between the next brothers. But I thought Mario was older than Hal, I would have to find that info, though. I was also trying to figure out if Orin being the father was feasible, in terms of their ages.
And Linda, you might have caught something I didn't! I can't wait to see if there is a line that you have that I don't post later!
The part about Hal? I will post it later for sure.
Rosemary wrote: "No, Mario is older than Hal. I did not get that it was Otis P. Lord in the other bed! That just made me laugh out loud!
Definitely going to sign out now and not look again until tomorrow."
Oh, you know what, I did know that...I just keep forgetting because Mario seems younger.
Hmmm...I might have to re-think some things, but I still think Linda and I are on the right track with this... IF anyone can find the brothers actual ages, that'd be awesome!
Kaycie wrote: "IF anyone can find the brothers actual ages, that'd be awesome!"I still need to do more research on the brothers' ages, but on the ride home tonight I found on page 101 (I was questioning myself on Mario being older than Hal):
Hal's next-oldest brother Mario doesn't seem to resemble much of anyone they know.
And during Joelle's first Thanksgiving with the Incs, she commented that little Hal Incandenza, maybe ten.... She was dating Orin at the time, so do we know at what age he went to be a punter?
Alright...I don't have as many quotes as I thought, but here goes:Pg 791: "his widow to be was engaging in sexual enmeshments with just about everything with a Y-chromosome...including possibly with the Auteur's son and Madame's craven lover, as a child..."
Which led me to believe that Avril was abusing Orin as a child...since Avril was probably abusing him (justified by things I mentioned earlier about Orin's personality and Avril's strange behavior), and we know that Mario is more than likely a product of incest, it makes sense that he might be Orin's son instead of CTs. I don't think we have ANY evidence of his being CTs.
Then on pg 837, the wraith is speaking of "his own personal youngest offspring" which led me to believe he had a young offspring that wasn't his own personal offspring.
Linda, did you find more?
Orin went straight from ETA into college football, where he met Joelle. I think he is 10/11 years older than Hal, and maybe 9 years older than Mario.Building in 9 months' gestation, I don't think it's likely he could be Mario's father ... Avril is clearly hung up on Orin as a football player, not as a little boy, viz antics with John Wayne ... and I think it's much more likely CT fathered Mario.
I do think there is evidence of this. The physical similarities - greenish skin colour, CT referring to Mario as "the thing it's not entirely impossible he may have fathered" ... and he is her half brother, so Mario would still be a product of incest.
Rosemary wrote: " I think he is 10/11 years older than Hal, and maybe 9 years older than Mario."If this is the case, then it is possible. Males are at least somewhat fertile when they begin puberty at an average age of 9-10. According to a quick Google search, 1/3 of males begin puberty up to 2 years earlier.
Regardless, I dont think there there is any more evidence that CT is the father than Orin. I also think it doesn't much matter if he actually is the father...if he was abused and even suspects he's the father, it would still cause all of the same issues even if it was actually CT.
Kaycie wrote: "Then on pg 837, the wraith is speaking of "his own personal youngest offspring" which led me to believe he had a young offspring that wasn't his own personal offspring."The previous quote in your post and this one were the two I was thinking of. And tonight when I went back and reviewed this quote, I realized that at the time I was thinking that Mario was younger than Hal, which would have made the "own personal youngest offspring" a key in at least saying for sure that Himself was not Mario's father.
I was confused, obviously, since in my other post I thought I remembered Mario being older than Hal.
So the ages, Rosemary is correct.
page 283: Orin just gets out of tennis, at this time Hal is 9 and Mario is nearly 11.
page 284: When ETA is just opened, Orin places poorly in the Boys 18s. (so Orin is almost 18 here, his senior year, and just about to change over to football)
So then I questioned whether it would be physically possible for Orin to be Mario's father? From Kaycie's Google search, it seems unlikely but still possible.
I do also think all the pieces fit more in this way than in CT being the father.
And Kaycie, you make a great point here:
I also think it doesn't much matter if he actually is the father...if he was abused and even suspects he's the father, it would still cause all of the same issues even if it was actually CT.
Linda- we read this section the exact same way (i thought Mario was youngest), but I feel much stronger about the theory anyways since we both saw the same things. I thought that Orin was the father before the quote from the wraith, so i don't think the age differences changes anything for me.Regardless, messed up family.
Anyways, now I can say poor Joelle! What a gruesome family disaster, and we have confirmed that she is deformed. I was getting afraid we'd never know for sure!
And another question....back to hamlet...is this just a really loose based on hamlet story? Because i don't know who gately would represent in the story, but the ghost should have appeared to Orin (or Hal), no? And other than for an interesting conversation, did anyone get an impression of why the ghost was there? If he would have to sit still for the equivalent of 3 weeks in order to just appear to gately, you'd think he'd have a good reason... Did i miss something here?
Oh, also, on the same page as the avril comment, there is a mention that avril placed the bottle of whiskey beside himself when he committed suicide. Why would she do that? I suspected once that himself suicide was a set-up, though i thought that was far fetched. It was the only explanation i saw for the whiskey placement though.
Kaycie wrote: "I thought that Orin was the father before the quote from the wraith"Yes, so did I.
For this section, I was very pleased with getting at least some of our questions answered - like Joelle's actual deformity by acid. I was also starting to worry!
Because i don't know who gately would represent in the story, but the ghost should have appeared to Orin (or Hal), no?
Oh yes, back to Hamlet. Shakespeare - one of my weaknesses! I do remember a ghost in Hamlet now that you bring it up, but I am not the person to ask about it. I would have to research some synopses and try to figure out who is who.
did anyone get an impression of why the ghost was there? If he would have to sit still for the equivalent of 3 weeks in order to just appear to gately, you'd think he'd have a good reason... Did i miss something here?
I was trying to figure this out too, but I think now that we know who the wraith is I would like to go back and reread this part. Yeah, that 3 week time lapse thing is crazy! Anyway, it seemed at some point, Gately was getting something out of it, I think? I kind of picked out vague messages myself, but I think I have to go back and reread, and I don't know if the bits I wondered at had anything to do with Hamlet.
The whiskey placement by Avril. I thought I read (I will have to find the page later) that it was thought that Himself would not stop drinking for Avril, but once Joelle came along, that he stopped drinking for her. So Avril was jealous of Joelle, and somehow the whiskey placement had to do with this.
Oh, and can I say YAY! for the U.S. finally switching to the metric system??! Page 840: The weights were old and greasy and their poundage pre-metric.
Oh, and I must be missing something, but it seemed like Gately knew who the guy in the hat outside his room was?Tall, well-dressed, grumpy, cocky-looking, piggy-eyed, wearing a hat, Civil-Service-looking. Black socks and brown shoes
Gately's bowels have gone watery with dread: he has all-too-clear memories of a certain remorseless Revere A.D.A.'s brown shoes, piggy eye, Stetson w/feather, and penchant for Third World takeout. He keeps grunting pathetically. (page 844)
Who is this guy Gately's terrified of??
This must be back from the very beginning, now that I think about it, maybe something to do with the toothbrush incident?
Well, I guess you could be right on the fatherhood issue. But it seems to me that everything could equally be explained by Orin knowing that Jim wasn't Mario's father, and something happening between Orin and Avril much later.If Avril was into little boys, wouldn't she be going for one of the Little Buddies rather than John Wayne (probably the most mature student at the school), or at least having JW dress in little boy pyjamas and carry a teddy bear or whatever, rather than Orin's football gear that he didn't start wearing until he was at college? I don't know much about child abuse but I didn't think abusers of little kids switched to 18-year-olds very much.
On the other hand, it may just be that I don't want to believe she would have had her 8 or 9 year old son impregnate her, because it's just such a sickening thing!
Linda wrote: "Who is this guy Gately's terrified of??"I was assuming that was to do with the DuPlessis incident ... is that too easy?
Re Hamlet: the ghost of Hamlet's father appears right at the beginning of the play, first to the palace guards (who've seen it before) and Horatio, Hamlet's friend (who's been told about it and come out to see). Then Horatio tells Hamlet, and then Hamlet sees it.So we could have more appearances of the wraith to come ...
Rosemary wrote: "Linda wrote: "Who is this guy Gately's terrified of??"I was assuming that was to do with the DuPlessis incident ... is that too easy?"
That is what I was thinking it had to do with. I wondered if we had been introduced to a character described as such that we knew for sure who it was and that I was just forgetting about?
Linda wrote: "I do remember a ghost in Hamlet now that you bring it up, but I am not the person to ask about it. I would have to research some synopses and try to figure out who is who."I am also not a Hamlet expert by any means, but the ghost appeared to Hamlet at the beginning of the story to inform him that his death was not natural, and that he had been murdered by his wife and brother so they could take the throne. One reason I was suspecting Himself's death might have had more to it.
Linda wrote: "I kind of picked out vague messages myself"
Yes, I also kind of got vague messages from the wraith but nothing serious. It almost seemed to me that the wraith was lonely and wanted someone to talk to...
Linda wrote: "Oh, and can I say YAY! for the U.S. finally switching to the metric system??! "
Oh man, awesome, haha! I missed this, but love it!
Linda wrote: "Oh, and I must be missing something, but it seemed like Gately knew who the guy in the hat outside his room was?"
Hmmm...ya...I didn't know about this part either, but by this point my mind was too blown from the rest of the week to even try to piece this together. I'll probably have to go back and reread this part.
Rosemary wrote: "But it seems to me that everything could equally be explained by Orin knowing that Jim wasn't Mario's father, and something happening between Orin and Avril much later."
The shocking part about the quote is that is specifies that Avril had relations with her son "AS A CHILD", which is the part that led both Linda and I to think he might be the father. And Orin knowing that Himself wasn't Mario's father doesn't explain it all for me...especially ORin's possible behavior issues as a result of child abuse.
Rosemary wrote: "I don't know much about child abuse but I don't think abusers of little kids switch to 18-year-olds very much."
I honestly don't know, and you do make a good point! I just think I never considered Avril as a "child abuser" and more of an "unable to control herself around things that might have Y-chromosomes". I think she does have some sort of Orin-specific issue though (the football gear scene with John Wayne), so maybe thats why she broke a typical "pattern?"
I do agree that the story is awful, and honestly, I'm glad we didn't get a story, but just a hint. But this sentence didn't leave too much to interpretation for me while reading it, either:
"his widow to be was engaging in sexual enmeshments with just about everything with a Y-chromosome...including possibly with the Auteur's son and Madame's craven lover, as a child..."
Rosemary wrote: "Well, I guess you could be right on the fatherhood issue. But it seems to me that everything could equally be explained by Orin knowing that Jim wasn't Mario's father, and something happening betwe..."You bring up a lot of good points, Rosemary. I don't know what the answer is, and I'm afraid we are going to be left wondering exactly what happened.
Just like I suspect that Otis was the person in the hospital bed next to Don Gately, we were never told that that was the case, exactly. I inferred such just simply because the time frame was correct, and it was a person with a box on his head.
I think there are a lot of incidents like this in IJ where we can conclude that something is the case given various clues, but because we are not explicitly told, there could be another plausible explanation. Like, for example, there just happens to be some other person who had an accident which resulted in a box-like object on his head, and it's not Otis in the bed next to Gately.
Linda wrote: "and I'm afraid we are going to be left wondering exactly what happened."Haha...ya....I'm afraid this is going to turn out to be a "choose your own version of the plot" story because we are never going to know for sure on tons of major plot points.
Kaycie wrote: "It almost seemed to me that the wraith was lonely and wanted someone to talk to..."I liked how Gately thought something along the lines of "well then why the hell aren't you talking to your OWN son?!" He's also wondering why the wraith chose him to talk to.
If it's too much of a shock for Himself to visit Hal as a ghost, perhaps Gately is going to act as the go-between so Himself's ghost can communicate with Hal? I wonder how this fits in with the bit at the beginning of the book, about Gately and Hal digging up his father's head.
Linda wrote: "I think there are a lot of incidents like this in IJ where we can conclude that something is the case given various clues, but because we are not explicitly told, there could be another plausible explanation."Yes! And this kind of thing must be a big part of what makes so many people want to go back and read it over again as soon as they finish ...
I am still reading the last few pages. So Jim made the Entertainment for Hal? To try to save him from drugs and muteness?
Rosemary wrote: "So Jim made the Entertainment for Hal? To try to save him from drugs and muteness?"That's what I understood, although I don't get how that would help Hal.
Also, is there any indication that Jim knew his last film was fatal? Did that just happen by accident, and he had no idea his film had that effect?
There's no indication in this conversation, I think. I don't think he knows, and he probably never intended it.
a certain remorseless Revere A.D.A.I looked up Revere - a suburb of Boston, and A.D.A would be Assistant District Attorney?
Does either of you have this as an ebook? - could search for Revere in earlier sections - or is that cheating? ;-)
I had completely forgotten the toothbrush incident (it's just come back to me - ewww), and Hal & Gately digging up bodies (which puts Gately more firmly in the Horatio role - although I think it's a loose retelling).
The plot of Hamlet suggests the ghost may reveal certain things to Hal that he hasn't told Gately. Especially, things about his own death.
Rosemary wrote: "A.D.A would be Assistant District Attorney"OK, that makes sense. I thought ADA was something about a District Attorney (I didn't look it up), which would bring us back to the toothbrush incident. I will need to go back in my book, but I'm pretty sure the couple involved, one of them was the ADA.
(I have the paper book, so I have to do a lot of page-flipping to find stuff)
Rosemary wrote: "I looked up Revere - a suburb of Boston, and A.D.A would be Assistant District Attorney?Does either of you have this as an ebook? - could search for Revere in earlier sections - or is that cheating? ;-)"
Page 55: Gately and the associate went that night to the ADA's private home in the upscale Wonderland Valley section of Revere, killed the power to the home...
And the ADA is the guy with the hat outside the hospital room.
Page 56: The ADA was a jaded pro: he walked around touching the brim of his hat --> FN #14: This ADA's little personal tradesmark was that he always wore an anachronistic but quality Stetson-brand businessman's hat with a decorative feather in the band, and frequently touched or played with the hat in tense situations.
So, does this mean that Gately's toothbrush incident is going to come bite him in the butt?
Linda wrote: "So, does this mean that Gately's toothbrush incident is going to come bite him in the butt? "Or brush him in the butt ... it certainly explains why he is inclined to become anxious in his hospital bed. Kudos for finding that!
Rosemary wrote: "Orin went straight from ETA into college football, where he met Joelle. I think he is 10/11 years older than Hal, and maybe 9 years older than Mario.Building in 9 months' gestation, I don't think..."
Avril is clearly hung up on Orin as a football player, not as a little boy, viz antics with John Wayne ...
Do you think it's so much "she's hung up on Orin as a football player," or bringing to life a fantasy emulating the PGOAT, the cheerleader, who took Avril's baby boy away from his mother...? Joelle was the wedge between mother and son... Between mother and lover, who also happens to be her son. The odd behavior Joelle couldn't put her finger on, that made the hair on the back of her neck stand, having seen through Avril's transparent countenance at the Thanksgiving Dinner was nothing more than absolute jealousy.
It's questionable if Avril's severe dislike for Joelle transcended into bad juju, and ultimately was the genesis for tipping the scales in favor of Joelle's demise... After all, wasn't that the night she "used" for the very first time? I'm not saying she "is" the cause, but there's something to Avril and the things she's capable of subconsciously.
Rosemary wrote: "Linda wrote: "I think there are a lot of incidents like this in IJ where we can conclude that something is the case given various clues, but because we are not explicitly told, there could be anoth..."And isn't this process you speak of another form of the "Infinite Jest..." The rereading; the flipping back and forth to the beginning, or wherever you see fit; over and over again, to find the finite answer... It will never end? I know I'm guilty of this and I think DFW is getting a good laugh at me. I feel foolish, I won't lie.
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: "It almost seemed to me that the wraith was lonely and wanted someone to talk to..."I liked how Gately thought something along the lines of "well then why the hell aren't you talkin..."
If it's too much of a shock for Himself to visit Hal as a ghost, perhaps Gately is going to act as the go-between so Himself's ghost can communicate with Hal?
That's what I was thinking at the time?
I wonder how this fits in with the bit at the beginning of the book, about Gately and Hal digging up his father's head.
I attributed it to finding the master cartridge, Linda. Himself divulges to Hal, during their conversation with Himself in disguise, that there was a cartridge implanted in his head. Nicola and I discussed this briefly in W13, I believe, only a little while ago.
Rosemary wrote: "Re Hamlet: the ghost of Hamlet's father appears right at the beginning of the play, first to the palace guards (who've seen it before) and Horatio, Hamlet's friend (who's been told about it and com..."So we could have more appearances of the wraith to come
I think he's been around the whole time after reading this section. He could be the reason for all the odd paranormal activity on the ETA campus, minus the moving bed (that's somebody trying to mess with Stice, it's too funny, but who knows).. Trying to get Hal's attention?
Quite a lot of information from Mary Notkin including one statement about Orin accusing MP of being sexually involved with 'their' father. Possible? Hmm, filing away.There was also the part which accused Mrs Inc as having an affair with her son as a child which caused some wild theories about paternity to erupt in my head, but after doing the maths it's just not possible, not unless Orin is much much older than the book indicates.
Then we finally got the full story about MPs facial scaring and wow, am I ever thankful for my normal family!
The 332 footnote spells pretty bad news for Pemulis. But I'm a little wary of cornering a guy like that, who knows what he'll do.
Hal drops in to what is quite probably the most embarrassing meeting in all of history and gets an up close and personal encounter with his brothers old neurotic doubles partner.
Gately has several crazy encounters and dreams. One where the face of Winston Churchill is on Joelles neck (which is how Stice's face was described previously), visions of the Chinese bag lady and Hals departed dad; and I think that's the answer to the moving furniture - Ennet House has a poltergeist but I'm not sure a) why he's managing to communicate with Gately and not anyone else, b) why it's taken so long for him to materialise and c) why the hospital and not the school?
Following Hamlet I guess the ghost appeared to soldiers first and on the battlements rather than inside the castle. Argh. Who knows, let's just see what happens. Don has started having words appear in his head though which he certainly doesn't know and some of those words are Laertes and Poor Yorick which makes more sense now because that phrase was used when they were looking at the head and Don Gately was the one Hal was digging up his Dads head with.
Post away, friends. The pile of pages separating the book and the footnote section is thinner and thinner in the book. You are my unsung heroes.