Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest

by

David Foster Wallace

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Infinite Jest makes teaching easy.
Union of the Hideously and Improbably Deformed, an organization founded by the wife on an MP in the mid 20th century. Many members, including Joelle, wear face veils; they also carry membership cards. Marathe pretends to be a member in order to disguise his identity when he goes undercover as a Swiss resident of Ennet House. In the time before the novel is set Mario was approached to be a member, but Hal vehemently opposed this and Mario did not join.
Get the entire Infinite Jest LitChart as a printable PDF.
Infinite Jest PDF

U.H.I.D. Term Timeline in Infinite Jest

The timeline below shows where the term U.H.I.D. appears in Infinite Jest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 40
Talent, Precociousness, and Fame Theme Icon
Addiction, Mental Illness, and Suicide Theme Icon
Entertainment Theme Icon
Institutional Control vs. Rebellion Theme Icon
...first person to give Hal a copy of the O.E.D., and when a representative from U.H.I.D. approached Mario in the Y.D.P.F.A.H., Hal told him to get lost. (full context)
Chapter 43
Addiction, Mental Illness, and Suicide Theme Icon
Institutional Control vs. Rebellion Theme Icon
...speaking with Erdedy and Joelle van Dyne. There are a handful of veiled people from U.H.I.D. there that night. Joelle has just moved into Ennet House after a grisly overdose and... (full context)
Chapter 54
Addiction, Mental Illness, and Suicide Theme Icon
Institutional Control vs. Rebellion Theme Icon
...member of the Union of the Hideously and Improbably Deformed, and mentions the similarities between U.H.I.D. and AA. It is revealed that the person Joelle is talking to is Don Gately.... (full context)