Assuming that the references to Hal's persistent toothache throughout the book are too frequent to be incidental, I've been paying attention to any details that may indicate its significance. So far I haven't had much luck with just my imagination despite having noticed the references over and over again. The exchange between Marathe and Steeply around p. 429 seems like it might be revealing though. Steeply refers to "the little kid who'll eat candy all day because it's what tastes best at each individual moment." Marathe adds, "Even if he knows inside his mind that it will hurt his stomach and rot his little fangs."
As for a reference to choice and agency, Steeply says:
"You can't induce a moral sensibility the same way you'd train a rat. The kid has to learn by his own experience how to learn to balance the short- and long-term pursuit of what he wants. [...] He must be freely enlightened to self."
Has anyone else been pondering the toothache?
This is somewhat unrelated, but another thing I've had on my mind is whether Hal is a hero. I remember thinking he sounded heroic because of something Tim said a couple of weeks ago although I can't remember the description well enough to articulate it myself!
I only noticed the toothache in one passage, and I'll have to look up which one it was. I do remember that at the beginning of one passage The narrator talked about Hal's addictive personality which gave him a genetic penchant for both nicotine and sugar. Good connection noticing though...I would definitely say that sugar can be clumped in with the drugs, entertainment (i.e. addictive substances in general). Maybe the point of Hal's toothache is to demonstrate how many of those addictive substances Hal is addicted to, and perhaps put out there that most people are addicted in multiple ways...?
ReplyDeleteI am assuming the toothache can be referencing to his drug addiction. Just like what Chloe said. I haven't come across that passage but I will look it up and see if it is. You know what I ruined a lot of stuff for myself already by looking up discussions on it. So maybe it is...
ReplyDeleteBtw, I really like this passage:
ReplyDeleteSteeply refers to "the little kid who'll eat candy all day because it's what tastes best at each individual moment." Marathe adds, "Even if he knows inside his mind that it will hurt his stomach and rot his little fangs."
Not that I am an expert at drug addiction. But it does ring some truth to it. Because even though we know its bad but yet we still go for it.