Zachary Bennett Outline for All That by David Foster Wallace 1. The Cement Mixer a.

Boy gets cement mixer for Christmas* i. *He is 90% sure b. Description of cement mixer i. simple ii. 3-4 lbs. iii. size of breadbox c. At 5-6 years old he hears Voices i. Normal for children of this age 2. The Magic a. Parents joke that cement mixer is magic i. the drum only turns when the boy isnt looking b. Boy takes this very seriously c. He never doubts the magic his parents told him of 3. Attempts to see drum rotate a. Three months of attempts at catching the magic i. Sudden whirls ii. Someone else pulling mixer iii. mirrors iv. peering through keyholes v. photographs vi. masking tape on drum 4. Talk Time a. 15 minute conversations with parents before bed b. Father, an intellectual and devout atheist, talks of attempts to catch tooth fairy c. Mentions there was no allusion to Matthew 4:7 i. ...Do not put the Lord God to the test. d. Success in catching the drum barrel rotating would have been upsetting i. Boy wanted to believe the magic e. Boy was distraught at the idea of losing the magic i. Parents misinterpret this for frustration of not catching the barrel rotating f. Mother buys other toys/games to distract him g. Boy never asks Father what he would do if he caught the Tooth Fairy h. Credits cement mixers Magic as the origin of religious feelings i. Wept for parents world and its lack of magic 5. Obsession a. Never actually caught the mixer turning b. Was banished to basement with toy by Mother c. Never bothered by being unable to prove the magic i. credits magic as being the reason his voices never worried him d. obsession ends by next Christmas 6. Religion

a. Parents see boy as eccentric i. In part due to his religious nature b. Boy sees self as not being an intellectual or articulate c. Parents allow his to pursue religion i. asks questions ii. shows interest in religious themes iii. sought religiously oriented people to talk with iv. attended church services and mass d. Atheism as boy understood it i. anti-religious religion ii. worships reason, skepticism, intellect, empirical proof, human autonomy, and self-determination e. Parents were tolerant f. Father gets tenure i. Family owns home in middle class neighborhood ii. boy attends highly rated school system 7. Magic/Religious connection a. Not apparent until second year of seminary i. first adult crisis of faith ii. discussed with teachers, a religious professor, and father/mother next door 8. Voices a. Religious interest due in part to hearing voices b. 2 distinct voices i. always good, happy, and reassuring c. Difficult to describe i. could not tell if real or not d. One voice said nothing was as real as the boy himself e. Parents attributed voices as imaginary friend common with children f. analogous to having private masseur giving back and shoulder rubs i. Mother frequently did when boy was sick g. Experiencing voices was ecstatic i. boy would roll around in pillows in ecstasy ii. Mother showed little concern iii. Her affection only added to the ecstatic sensations h. Boy never believed in monsters, vampires, etc. i. Fits of ecstasy added to reverence for magic/faith j. Father jokingly said boy suffered from antiparanoia 9. The movie a. origin of religious impulse b. 1950s war movie c. One of the strongest memories of childhood i. being with father d. Movie remembered differently by Father/Boy

i. ii. iii. iv.

Father remembers the hero sacrificing himself for his platoon Boy remembers the hero anguishing over moral question of killing, and dies saving enemy platoon Boy saw narrator as believing these actions were heroic Boy relates, sees it as too intensely beautiful to bear