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Bruce Green
Lyle is a mysterious “guru” who sits on top of the towel dispenser in the weight room of E.T.A. In addition to a Hindu guru, he resembles a Christian ascetic. He doesn’t eat or drink but survives on licking and inhaling the sweat of people in the room. He possibly appears to Gately in wraith form (or is a wraith all along) during Gately’s feverish period in hospital.
Lyle Quotes in Infinite Jest
The Infinite Jest quotes below are all either spoken by Lyle or refer to Lyle. 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:
).
Chapter 45 Quotes
“To be envied, admired, is not a feeling. Nor is fame a feeling. There are feelings associated with fame, but few of them are any more enjoyable than the feelings associated with envy of fame”…
“So I'm stuck in the cage from either side. Fame or tortured envy of fame. There's no way out.”
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Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
LaMont Chu has come down to the weight room to seek advice from Lyle, the weight room guru. Although he is only 11, LaMont has developed a “crippling” obsession with tennis fame. He cannot stop thinking about the glamour of a professional tennis career and it’s making him feel “trapped.” The advice Lyle gives him is rather wise and perceptive. It is well known that very famous and successful people are not usually happier than the general population—in fact they are often less happy. As Lyle points out, becoming famous and successful will not make LaMont feel happier or more Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ips
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Lyle Character Timeline in Infinite Jest
The timeline below shows where the character Lyle appears in Infinite Jest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 21
...newer kids think he is creepy and object to his presence. He is “supposedly” named Lyle.
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Chapter 37
...petrified that he was going to “flunk grief-therapy.” In despair, Hal paid a visit to Lyle, who told him that instead of being a “student of grief,” he should start reading...
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Chapter 40
...pursuing more creative film projects. Many E.T.A. students see Mario as a mild annoyance, although Lyle loves him and Hal, who calls him “Booboo,” secretly “idealizes” him. Hal thinks Avril might...
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Chapter 44
...1 May Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment. Many years ago, James sought advice from Lyle after critics kept saying that the fatal flaw in all his work was plot. (An...
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When James would go to seek help from Lyle, he spent hours drinking whisky while Lyle drank caffeine-free Diet Coke. Mario would be there...
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Chapter 45
Down in the weight room, Lyle recalls an E.T.A. student called Marlon whose skin was always wet. There are almost always...
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Lyle’s advice tends to be straightforward and effective. Back upstairs, Mario’s film features James’s signature blending...
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One of Lyle’s repeated phrases of advice is “Do not underestimate objects!” When Stice seeks Lyle’s help about...
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Chapter 58
...blindfolded in the hall by the weight room. They can hear Anton Doucette crying to Lyle; apparently some of the other boys are watching him “like it’s entertainment.” Troeltsch and Pemulis...
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