Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest

by

David Foster Wallace

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Hugh Steeply is an O.U.S. operative who is undercover as a journalist called Helen throughout the novel. Steeply is loyal to his country and believes deeply in the American principle of freedom of choice. However, as Marathe points out, Steeply’s mission of trying to intercept the master copy of the Entertainment in order to stop it being distributed to American citizens theoretically violates his belief in this freedom. Steeply isn’t trans, just in disguise, yet is referred to with she/her pronouns when appearing as Helen in the book. When it is unclear under what guise Steeply is in, s/he and her/his are used. Steeply is large is stature, and the book fixates on the apparent incongruity between his size and female presentation.

Hugh / Helen Steeply Quotes in Infinite Jest

The Infinite Jest quotes below are all either spoken by Hugh / Helen Steeply or refer to Hugh / Helen Steeply. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Talent, Precociousness, and Fame Theme Icon
).
Chapter 51 Quotes

I couldn't even stand to be in the same room, see him like that. Begging for just even a few seconds - a trailer, a snatch of soundtrack, anything. His eyes wobbling around like some drug-addicted newborn.

Related Characters: Hugh / Helen Steeply (speaker), Rémy Marathe
Related Symbols: The Entertainment, Substances
Page Number: 507
Explanation and Analysis:
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Infinite Jest PDF

Hugh / Helen Steeply Quotes in Infinite Jest

The Infinite Jest quotes below are all either spoken by Hugh / Helen Steeply or refer to Hugh / Helen Steeply. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Talent, Precociousness, and Fame Theme Icon
).
Chapter 51 Quotes

I couldn't even stand to be in the same room, see him like that. Begging for just even a few seconds - a trailer, a snatch of soundtrack, anything. His eyes wobbling around like some drug-addicted newborn.

Related Characters: Hugh / Helen Steeply (speaker), Rémy Marathe
Related Symbols: The Entertainment, Substances
Page Number: 507
Explanation and Analysis: