Infinite Jest: Chapter 60 Summary & Analysis

1 May Y.D.A.U. Outcropping Northwest of Tucson Arizona U.S.A. Steeply admits that his own father became “consumed with a sort of entertainment” at one point in his life—the TV show M*A*S*H*. He tells Marathe that his father at first just liked the show, but after a while he developed a kind of addiction to it, losing interest in all other aspects of his life. He began keeping a secret notebook filled with notes about the show. Eventually, Steeply’s father couldn’t speak about any topic other than the program. He began writing letters to the characters and believing that information was being communicated in code to certain viewers of the show.

Steeply’s mother began taking anti-anxiety medication. His father stopped leaving the “den” where he watched the show, not even to go to the bathroom. He died there, and after his death Steeply and his family discovered that the notebooks were filled with an indecipherable code. Marathe says he can’t stay much longer, and that he would appreciate if Steeply left first. Steeply discusses the look on the faces of those transfixed by entertainment, a look of being totally trapped in an empty moment of wondering.