Eating Lobster Discussion Questions

1. How does Wallace feel about eating lobsters? Does it shift through the essay?

In his essay, Wallace does not take a clear stance on whether he does or doesn’t support eating lobsters. But from context clues, I believe that he does or has partaken in eating lobster because he says that he believes that “animals are less morally important than human beings” (470). And on the same page, he states that “I like to eat certain kinds of animals and want to be able to keep doing it”. Another context clue that has led me to conclude this is he states on page 466 “It is, at any rate, uncomfortable for me, and just about everyone…. My own main way of dealing with this conflict has been to avoid thinking about the whole unpleasant thing.” (Wallace). He’s saying

It plays a big role in his argument because he his arguing about a person’s preference to eat lobster(s). He also uses preference in a few different ways throughout his argument. First, when he is discussing the ways to prepare a lobster he talks about the different “preferences” that people have. He states how some chefs cut the lobster in half before boiling it, others microwave it, and the obvious one boiling. These are all preferences based on the person doing the cooking. Secondly, on page 469, when talking about the lobsters he brings up a theory that the lobsters have preference(s). In this case, he is using preference to mean instinct. Their preference can lead them to “detect changes in water temperature.” Another way he talks about lobsters having a preference is when they are in the ocean “lobsters will always congregate in whatever part is darkest” (Wallace, 470). They also have a fondness for space “they clearly dislike the crowding that’s part of their captivity in tanks”. Which is a reason why “lobsters’ claws are banded [when captured] is to keep them from attacking one another under the stress of close-quarter