A.J. Character Analysis in Naked Lunch

A.J., whose nickname is Merchant of Sex, is responsible for financing Islam Inc. Like the narrator, A.J. is an agent, and his cover is that he is an “international playboy and practical jokester.” He also claims to be “independent,” but the narrator explains that no one can be independent in this business. A.J.’s most notable practical jokes include destroying the reputation of a famous chef, spiking the punch at a party and causing an orgy, crashing a barge into the San Marco bridge in Venice, and delivering a homoerotic statue to an all-boys boarding school. He also known for using a water gun to shoot the sperm of other men up the skirts of women at parties. It is unclear for whom or what A.J. is really working, but the narrator supposes that A.J.’s underlying motivation is the destruction of the state of Israel.

A.J. Character Timeline in Naked Lunch

The timeline below shows where the character A.J. appears in Naked Lunch. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...demand someone have sex with them. All the guests begin to run away from them. A.J. (a character yet to be introduced) feels repulsed by the women’s behavior. He calls for... (full context)

A.J. is addressing the guests at his annual party. He is introducing what he deems to... (full context)

Meanwhile, back at A.J.’s party, the Beagle has hidden his heroin in a folded-up lottery ticket. He plans to... (full context)

...of having sex in space. He says it reminds him of how his old friend A.J. would use a water gun to shoot other men’s sperm up the skirts of women... (full context)

Meanwhile, A.J. is walking through the Market; he is wearing a black cape, and a vulture perches... (full context)

...Inc., though he never fully explains what Islam Inc. does. He tells the reader that A.J., whose nickname is Merchant of Sex (a nickname that hasn’t been explained yet), and who... (full context)

A.J., like the narrator, is an agent for Islam Inc., but no one really knows for... (full context)

The narrator then tells the story of how A.J. showed up for a reservation at a fancy restaurant called Chez Robert with six Bolivian... (full context)

In another story, A.J. crashes a barge near the San Marco bridge in Venice. In yet another, he unveils... (full context)

...Inc.’s actual objectives are, as all the individuals involved have differing underlying motives. For instance, A.J. wishes to destroy Israel; Clem and Jody want to weaken then Near East oil industry... (full context)