In his infamous essay, Shipping Out, David Foster Wallace (DFW) promises the reader a “Four-Color Brochure” in which he draws the reader’s attention away from the stereotypical view of tourism and instead to the deathly comforts of American consumerism. By titling the beginning section as Four-Color Brochure, he creates a visual, using colors and strong descriptive phrases to deliver the promised brochure. Who opposes enticing advertisement: white “sucrose beaches”, luscious green vegetation, intense blue water and brown-skinned people. “I have seen fluorescent luggage and fluorescent sunglasses and fluorescent pince-nez” (Wallace 33). In the quote above, DFW uses “fluorescent” to describe how intense everything around excessively bright. By …show more content…
He expresses how deathly comfort can be using humorous double entendres. “Temperatures were uterine. The sun itself seemed to preset for our comfort” (Wallace 34). In the quote above, DFW goes to extreme lengths to describe how comfortable the cruise was. The temperature was perfect- in fact he uses the word “uterine” to explain the extent. Uterine classically refers to the womb of a woman where a baby resides normally for about nine months. He also goes ahead to describe the intensity of the sun. In the western Caribbean, the sun usually inflicts its worst on the people, but aboard the Nadir, the vessel of comfort, it is a comfortable temperature, making the people happy. As the essay goes on, it is apparent that DFW does not consider the comforts pleasurable, but rather a return to the atmosphere of childhood. He considers the intense pampering which includes: excellent food and being waited on hand and foot displeasing. He drives the sword in even deeper through the use of the word, “pamper.” Pamper means to provide every comfort one could ever hope for. Coincidentally, a leading diaper brand goes by the same name. He criticizes the desire of adults to be babied; a point in their lives when they were demanding, helpless and in constant need of