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11. A.J.’s Annual Party
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Naked Lunch, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Drug Addiction
The Art of Writing
Politics, Power, and Control
American Society
The Medical-Industrial Complex
Summary
Analysis
A new character named Doctor “Fingers” Schafer, whose nickname is The Lobotomy Kid, is on a stage to unveil what he calls “The Complete All American Deanxietized Man,” a man named Clarence whom Schafer has ostensibly rid of all anxiety. Two men carry him on to the stage, and he immediately transforms into a giant black centipede. Doctor Schafer becomes distraught. He begins to sob and wonders why Clarence betrayed him by turning into a black centipede. The people in attendance start to ask themselves if Schafer has “gone too far.” They then scheme to kill the monstrous black centipede. One man in attendance refuses to participate, however, because he fears the eventual legal consequences of that action.
Doctor Schafer, much like Doctor Benway, represents the hubris of the medical industry. The absurdity of the mere idea of “deanxietized” man illustrates the lofty goals of the medical field as well as the misguided belief that medicine has the capacity to solve any and all problems. The fact that the “deanxietized” man ultimately transforms into a frightful beast reinforces the limitations of the medical industry. It also literalizes the notion that medical interventions, especially in the field of psychiatry, can result in the dehumanization of the patient. The latter is an opinion that seems to be shared by the conference attendees, who agree that Schafer has crossed an ethical line with this particular experiment.
Active
Themes
The narrative “fades out” to a courtroom scene that depicts the hypothetical trial that would ensue if the black centipede were ever murdered. During the trial, the District Attorney (D.A.) delivers a feverish address to a jury in which he refers to the black centipede as “an innocent creature” and to Doctor Schafer as a “Great Beast.” He reminds the jurors that Doctor Schafer has already appeared in court several times under charges of “brain rape.” The D.A. then accuses Schafer of reducing their population to “idiocy” and tries to convince the jury to avenge the murder of Clarence Cowie (the black centipede). The scene abruptly returns to Doctor Schafer’s demonstration. The centipede starts wriggling around on the stage “in agitation.” The conference attendees become really scared, and they all rush out of the auditorium.
Active
Themes
