Previous
Tone
Morning
Explanation and Analysis—I Don't Smoke:
In "Morning," Patrick gives a long list of his apartment's garish, expensive decor. He describes his coffee table laden with fancy ashtrays—but, ironically, Patrick clarifies that he does not use them:
A glass-top coffee table with oak legs by Turchin sits in front of the sofa, with Steuben glass animals placed strategically around expensive crystal ashtrays from Fortunoff, though I don’t smoke.
Deck Chairs
Explanation and Analysis—Is Pepsi Ok?:
In the chapter "Deck Chairs," Patrick has dinner at the titular "California classic" restaurant with Courtney, as well as Anne and Scott Smiley. Anne wants a rum and Diet Coke, but Patrick recommends forcefully that she choose Diet Pepsi instead. His hyperbolic reaction is shocking:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“You should have the Diet Pepsi instead of the Diet Coke,” I say. “It’s much better. It’s fizzier. It has a cleaner taste. It mixes better with rum and has a lower sodium content.”
The waiter, Scott, Anne, and even Courtney—they all stare at me as if I’ve offered some kind of diabolical, apocalyptic observation, as if I were shattering a myth highly held, or destroying an oath that was solemnly regarded [...]
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Summer
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Spider?:
In the chapter "Summer," Patrick and Evelyn agree to take a vacation to the Hamptons. Patrick uses an obscure simile to describe Evelyn's reaction to his suggestion:
Unlock with LitCharts A+My nightly bloodlust overflowed into my days and I had to leave the city. My mask of sanity was a victim of impending slippage. This was the bone season for me and I needed a vacation. I needed to go to the Hamptons.
I suggested this to Evelyn and, like a spider, she accepted.
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