Bribery
-"The pomegranate/ works as a symbol of the female sexual organs even though it/ doesn't 'resemble' said organ;.../ instead of slippery/ red fruits that slick your fingers with slime, like the thin film of/ menstrual radiation that sheaths one's body after messy period sex (pg. 34-35)..." The work that is being done here is similar to the work that Whitman does. Here, Zultanski is perverting the image of a fruit to describe female sex organs, but in doing this, he is commenting on the fact that women's bodies are viewed as something to be ashamed of when menstrual cycles are completely natural.
-"In this way, I tried/ to tell her about the worst things I could remember: robberies,/ break-ins, beatings,/ ritualistic murders, petty lies, arson, rapes, bombings,/ betrayals,/ racist diatribes. Stealing her money.../ Dreams and wishes (pg. 96)." Throughout the book, the speaker is describing heinous crimes that he has committed, but he insists that he can always be "worse." He connects what he has done to the actions of other. For example, he mentions that capitalism is stealing form the people, that all US men athletes are rapists, & that war is unnecessary slaughter. He talks about his crimes so casually in a way that would make his audience uncomfortable, but opens their eyes to the scale in which the injustices are being committed.
-"In any case, there/ was nothing sexual/ about my stalking of the boy. I simply waled to his school in Park/ Slope every day at 3pm when classes were dismissed/ and waited for him to pass with his friends... I just/ watched him from the window of the coffee shop where I pretend-/ed to be reading/... I was fixated,/ though I couldn't even clearly picture his face (pg. 45)." Some of the crimes that were described were not active, but rather, were passive, like this example of stalking. Observing people, & the social & political atmospheres were very important to the speaker.
