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Consider the Lobster

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At its surface an essay about a lobster-fest, this essay explores some of the standards in the food industry as well as the morality of killing animals unnecessarily for their taste.

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David Foster Wallace

Consider the Lobster

The enormous, pungent, and extremely well marketed Maine Lobster Festival is held every late July in the state’s midcoast region, meaning the western side of Penobscot Bay, the nerve stem of Maine’s lobster industry. What’s called the midcoast runs from Owl’s Head and Thomaston in the south to Belfast in the north. (Actually, it might extend all the way up to Bucksport, but we were never able to get farther north than Belfast on Route 1, whose summer traffic is, as you can imagine, unimaginable.) The region’s two main communities are Camden, with its very old money and yachty harbor and five-star restaurants and phenomenal B&Bs, and Rockland, a serious old fishing town that hosts the Festival every summer in historic Harbor Park, right along the water. 1

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Tourism and lobster are the midcoast region’s two main industries, and they’re both warm-weather enterprises, and the Maine Lobster Festival represents less an intersection of the industries than a deliberate collision, joyful and lucrative and loud. The assigned subject of this article is the 56th Annual MLF, July 30 to August 3, 2003, whose official theme was “Lighthouses, Laughter, and Lobster.” Total paid attendance was over 80,000, due partly to a national CNN spot in June during which a Senior Editor of a certain other epicurean magazine hailed the MLF as one of the best food-themed festivals in the world. 2003 Festival highlights: concerts by Lee Ann Womack and Orleans, annual Maine Sea Goddess beauty pageant, Saturday’s big parade, Sunday’s William G. Atwood Memorial Crate Race, annual Amateur Cooking Competition, carnival rides and midway attractions and food booths, and the MLF’s Main Eating Tent, where something over 25,000 pounds of fresh-caught Maine lobster is consumed after preparation in the World’s Largest Lobster Cooker near the grounds’ north entrance. Also available are lobster rolls, lobster turnovers, lobster sauté, Down East lobster salad, lobster bisque, lobster ravioli, and deep-fried lobster dumplings. Lobster Thermidor is obtainable at a sit-down restaurant called The Black Pearl on Harbor Park’s northwest wharf. A large all-pine booth sponsored by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council has free pamphlets with recipes, eating tips, and Lobster Fun Facts. The winner of Friday’s Amateur Cooking Competition prepares Saffron Lobster Ramekins, the recipe for which is available for public downloading at www.mainelobsterfestival.com. There are lobster T-shirts and lobster bobblehead dolls and inflatable lobster pool toys and clamp-on lobster hats with big scarlet claws that wobble on springs. Your assigned correspondent saw it all, accompanied by one girlfriend and both his own parents—one of which parents was actually born and raised in Maine, albeit in the extreme northern inland part, which is potato country and a world away from the touristic midcoast. 2

For practical purposes, everyone knows what a lobster is. As usual, though, there’s much more to know than most of us care about—it’s all a matter of what your interests are. Taxonomically speaking, a lobster is a marine crustacean of the family Homaridae, characterized by five pairs of jointed legs, the first pair terminating in large pincerish claws used for subduing prey. Like many other species of benthic carnivore, lobsters are both hunters and scavengers. They have stalked eyes, gills on their legs, and antennae. There are dozens of different kinds worldwide, of which the relevant species here is the Maine lobster, Homarus americanus . The name “lobster” comes from the Old English loppestre , which is thought to be a corrupt form of the Latin word for locust combined with the Old English loppe , which meant spider.

Moreover, a crustacean is an aquatic arthropod of the class Crustacea, which comprises crabs, shrimp, barnacles, lobsters, and freshwater crayfish. All this is right there in the encyclopedia. And an arthropod is an invertebrate member of the phylum Arthropoda, which phylum covers insects, spiders, crustaceans, and centipedes/millipedes, all of whose main commonality, besides the absence of a centralized brain-spine assembly, is a chitinous exoskeleton composed of segments, to which appendages are articulated in pairs.

The point is that lobsters are basically giant sea-insects. 3 Like most arthropods, they date from the Jurassic period, biologically so much older than mammalia that they might as well be from another planet. And they are—particularly in their natural brown-green state, brandishing their claws like weapons and with thick antennae awhip—not nice to look at. And it’s true that they are garbagemen of the sea, eaters of dead stuff, 4 although they’ll also eat some live shellfish, certain kinds of injured fish, and sometimes each other.

Photograph By Clarita Berger / National Geographic Image Collection

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Consider The Lobster Summary, Analysis and Themes

“Consider the Lobster” is a famous essay by David Foster Wallace that originally appeared in Gourmet magazine. It centers on the Maine Lobster Festival, which prompts an exploration of the ethics of killing lobsters for human consumption.

Wallace dives deep into the lobster’s physiology and potential capacity for pain, questioning whether the pleasure we derive from eating them justifies the methods of preparation. The essay blends humor and philosophical inquiry, ultimately challenging readers to think critically about the food they eat and the ethical implications of their choices.

The essay begins with an evocative portrait of the bustling Maine Lobster Festival. However, the initial notes of culinary enthusiasm quickly give way to a complex meditation on the ethics of killing and eating these creatures.

Wallace delves into the history of lobster, outlining its curious shift from an undesirable food source to a luxurious treat. He explores the festival in detail, highlighting both its celebratory atmosphere and the unsettling realities concealed behind the veneer of fun and festivities.

The central question of the essay emerges: do lobsters feel pain, and if so, does that fundamentally alter the morality of consuming them? 

Wallace examines the common method of boiling a lobster alive and the creature’s undeniable struggle during the process. This leads to a consideration of the broader debate about animal suffering.

He introduces PETA’s protests against the festival, highlighting their arguments about lobster sentience. In turn, this prompts a scientific inquiry into the lobster’s nervous system and the nature of pain. 

Wallace explores the concept that lobsters might lack the complex brain structures necessary to experience pain the same way that humans do. While this idea initially offers some comfort, he soon dissects its problematic implications.

Should pain be measured solely by its emotional and intellectual complexity, or is the raw experience of physical distress enough to warrant ethical concern? 

Wallace wrestles with the lobster’s evident fight for survival, acknowledging that even if the animal’s pain is different from a human’s, it remains unsettlingly real.

He further challenges the reader by contrasting the Maine Lobster Festival’s giant, public lobster cooker with the intimate act of killing the creature in a home kitchen. The essay highlights the uncomfortable dissonance between the festive atmosphere of the event and the hidden, brutal truth of its culinary practices.

Wallace grapples with his own hypocrisy– an awareness of the moral complexities of eating animals, coupled with a continuing desire to consume meat. He questions the notion of “gourmet,” wondering if it merely refers to presentation and taste rather than the full ethical picture of the meal.

Ultimately, “Consider the Lobster” doesn’t provide neat answers. 

Instead, it forces readers to confront uncomfortable questions about the food they eat and the often overlooked ethical trade-offs embedded in their choices. 

Wallace’s introspective narrative style invites readers to follow him on this unsettling journey, questioning their own assumptions and the ease with which they may have previously ignored these difficult considerations.

The essay becomes an exercise in empathy, an invitation to extend compassion beyond the familiar boundaries of human experience. It is an exploration of the messy, unresolved contradictions that exist within most of us when confronted with the reality of causing suffering to satisfy our own appetites.

The Ethics of Consumption & Suffering

At its core, “Consider the Lobster” questions the morality of causing suffering to living creatures for our own pleasure. Wallace meticulously describes the process of cooking a lobster alive, forcing the reader to confront the uncomfortable reality behind a delicious meal. 

He challenges our automatic acceptance of practices that cause pain, simply because they bring us enjoyment. This theme extends outwards from the lobster, suggesting we re-examine our broader consumption habits, and whether those cause unnecessary suffering to other living beings.

The Illusion of Choice

Wallace questions whether we truly have free will in our food choices. He presents the Maine Lobster Festival as a microcosm of American society – a spectacle driven by tradition, advertising, and social pressure. 

The sheer availability of lobsters, the festive atmosphere, and cultural expectations all manipulate our choices, leading us to make decisions without fully considering their ethical consequences. Wallace implies that we often prioritize convenience and cultural norms over a truly conscious, moral evaluation of our actions.

The Complexity of Sentience

While the essay centers around the question of whether lobsters feel pain, Wallace expands the debate to the larger issue of what defines sentience and consciousness. He argues that our anthropocentric lens often prevents us from truly understanding the inner lives of other species. 

By acknowledging our limitations in this area, the themes of compassion and respect extend beyond creatures we easily relate to. Wallace forces us to grapple with the possibility that just because we don’t fully grasp a creature’s experience doesn’t justify causing it harm.

The Hypocrisy of Modern Life

Wallace subtly critiques the contradiction between our supposed values and our actions. He highlights how we celebrate the Maine Lobster Festival – a symbol of abundance – while simultaneously ignoring the realities of suffering involved in creating that feast. 

This contradiction, Wallace argues, reveals a profound disconnect in modern society, where we profess concern for animal welfare yet often turn a blind eye to the uncomfortable realities that make our lifestyles possible.

David Foster Wallace’s essay isn’t merely about crustaceans; it’s an unflinching interrogation of human morality within a consumerist society. By framing his inquiry around the Maine Lobster Festival, Wallace unveils a profound tension at the heart of our choices. 

On one hand, the festival presents itself as a celebration of community and tradition, a bounty of fresh seafood enjoyed by all. However, beneath this veneer, Wallace reveals the unsettling reality obscured for the convenience of our palates – the systematic infliction of suffering upon sentient creatures. 

This central juxtaposition – the juxtaposition between festive enjoyment and the hidden violence it rests upon – serves as the catalyst for a broader discussion on our ethical blind spots.

Wallace’s genius lies not in providing a neatly packaged moral verdict, but rather in meticulously deconstructing the complex layers surrounding the issue. He forces readers to confront the vivid, visceral process of a lobster meeting its end, prompting genuine discomfort that’s difficult to brush aside. 

Yet, Wallace doesn’t stop at the individual lobster. He skillfully shifts focus outwards, questioning the very systems that make such practices not only acceptable but also desirable. 

The abundance at the festival, the social pressure to participate, the carefully crafted marketing ; all of these elements contribute to a societal apparatus that manipulates individual choice and obscures true ethical consideration.

Furthermore, Wallace challenges our anthropocentric notions of sentience and suffering. 

He acknowledges the inherent limits of human understanding when it comes to the inner lives of other species, forcing us to confront the possibility that just because we don’t fully comprehend a creature’s experience doesn’t justify inflicting pain. 

This challenges our cultural habit of prioritizing humans over all else, hinting at the need for a more expansive and compassionate ethical framework.

Ultimately, “Consider the Lobster” leaves the reader with a lingering sense of unease. 

While not explicitly condemning the consumption of lobster, it unveils the hypocrisy we engage in to maintain our lifestyles. 

We profess to care about animal welfare, yet often participate in systems that cause profound harm, while carefully shielding ourselves from the uncomfortable truths behind them. 

Wallace’s essay serves as a mirror, reflecting back the disconnect between our stated values and our actions, forcing us to question what we truly stand for.

A team of Editors at Books That Slay.

Passionate | Curious | Permanent Bibliophiles

• Consider the Lobster and Other Essays Summary

by David Foster Wallace

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

Consider the Lobster is a collection of various essays of different kinds and on different subjects, many of which are reprints of faux journalism originally published by literary magazines. The summaries of each story are as follows:

Big Red Son: A scathing exposition on the adult film industry focused on their award show beginning with a humorous take on autocastration.

Certainly the End of Something or Other, One Would Sort of Have to Think: A literary-critical review of John Updike 's novel Toward the End of Time in which Wallace expresses his disappointment with the modernist powerhouse, eventually concluding that the reason the character in the story is so unhappy is that he is a jerk.

Some Remarks on Kafka's Funniness from Which Probably Not Enough Has Been Removed: A short essay sampling various Kafka moments that were probably supposed to be very funny, but for some reason don't line up with the modern American sense of humor.

Authority and American Usage: An admittedly nerdy exposé of the drama in the dictionary publishing world and the intricacies of modern linguistics.

The View from Mrs. Thompson's: A moderate, albeit challenging response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart: A frustrated literary-critical essay decrying the sports-star-with-ghost-writer autobiography genre, a genre of pulp non-fiction that Wallace wishes he could enjoy, but can't because of the absence of meaning and narrative value.

Up, Simba: A political piece surrounding the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain .

Consider the Lobster: The title essay, focused on the culinary controversy surrounding the correct method for ethically cooking lobster. Indirectly, the essay deals with our assumptions about pain, pleasure, and entitlement.

Joseph Frank's Dostoevsky: A peer-review article for Joseph Frank's biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky appreciating where Frank excels, but not without criticizing arenas where Frank falls short of capturing the true essence of Dostoevsky's life.

Host: A layered, involved exposition of a radio host who can't help their obsession with the O.J. Simpson trial. Indirectly, an exposé of how different media affect the cultural psychology of a society.

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Consider the Lobster and Other Essays Questions and Answers

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Study Guide for Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

Consider the Lobster and Other Essays study guide contains a biography of David Foster Wallace, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
• Character List

Essays for Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

Consider the Lobster and Other Essays essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace.

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• Priority and Perspective in "The View From Mrs. Thompson's"

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Analysis: “Consider the Lobster”

David Foster Wallace’s style is pivotal toward understanding a complex and at times jumbled text. “Consider the Lobster” contains several footnotes, a text feature commonly employed by Wallace, which complicate and expand his argument. These footnotes offer exposition such as why he was speaking to a rental car liaison, clarify details such as the nature of the debate between human and animal life versus culinary taste and animal life, and give tangential thoughts such as what it means to be a tourist in America. These footnotes inform the reader’s understanding of Wallace’s argument, which is notable for lacking a central claim or thesis; rather, Wallace raises questions for the reader to consider.

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36 Hours in Portland, Maine

By Chelsea Conaboy June 20, 2024

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By Chelsea Conaboy Photographs by Greta Rybus

Chelsea Conaboy is a writer and editor who lives near Portland.

From the fishing piers and wharves lined up like piano keys along Commercial Street to the ocean views and historic Queen Anne-style homes atop Munjoy Hill, Portland offers a lot for visitors to take in. And then there is the food. Maine's largest city has long been nationally known as a top food destination, and just this year two Portland bakers won James Beard Awards. To host travelers, culinary or otherwise, five boutique hotels have opened since 2020. The hotel construction, new high-end condo development and rising coastal real estate prices have exacerbated a housing crisis here. But the elements that make this New England city such an attractive place to visit — a dynamic creative economy, juxtaposition of the old and the new, and the distinctive character of a working waterfront — endure.

Recommendations

• The Eastern Promenade offers picnicking, beach access and a playground with an unbeatable view, plus lots of food trucks to explore.
• The Portland Museum of Art , which stretches across four buildings, has a collection of established and emerging Maine artists and includes a small sculpture garden.
• Fort Williams Park in the nearby town of Cape Elizabeth provides visitors the excellent combination of breathtaking views and a good lobster roll.
• Casco Bay Lines , with a ferry terminal on Commercial Street, offers an affordable tour of Casco Bay or a quick trip to the islands.
• On Peaks Island , three miles off mainland Portland, one should meander, swim and enjoy the view.
• Portland Paddle organizes a three-hour kayak tour of Fort Gorges every day in the summer, starting from East End Beach and including time to explore the Civil War-era structure built on a ledge in the middle of Casco Bay.
• Công Tử Bột has a cheerful dining room, a family-style Vietnamese menu and a counter with a kitchen view.
• Ugly Duckling is a sweet luncheonette with memorable breakfast sandwiches.
• Il Leone is in its fourth season of turning local ingredients and naturally leavened dough into wood-fired pizza magic on Peaks Island.
• Luke’s Lobster was known for exporting Maine lobsters to a chain of lobster shacks around the globe, then returned to Maine to build a restaurant very close to the catch, on the Portland Pier.
• Bar Futo serves yakitori-style skewers and sharing plates with creative cocktails and whiskey highballs that will make you want to order another.
• Hot Suppa! brings from-scratch Southern cooking to this very northern city — and the crowds show up.
• Bite Into Maine ’s Fort Williams food truck offers a very Maine experience: eating a lobster roll with a lighthouse in view.
• Oxbow Blending and Bottling is where this popular Maine brewery blends and packages its aged beers, with a large bar and patio area and frequent live music.
• Anoche offers Spanish gin, wine and a wide array of hard ciders, plus all that goes with it, including Spanish cheeses, meats and tinned fish.
• One Longfellow Square draws folk and roots musicians and their fans to its intimate performance space.
• Blue Portland Maine is expanding its legacy as a jazz bar to include other genres, with an emphasis on live sound quality in this small listening room.
• Rabelais sells rare food-and-drink books and will operate a tiny pop-up shop on Washington Avenue this summer.
• Open House is a showroom of antique, vintage and handmade furnishings and clothing.
• Onggi is a market and newly opened cafe with a focus on fermentation.
• Strata is a high-end kitchenware shop with an emphasis on beautiful quality knives.
• Back Cove Books is a neighborhood bookstore with a lovely children’s section and a cozy reading nook for the littlest readers and the grownups.
• At Print: A Bookstore , the staff are funny on Instagram and helpful in real life.
• The Longfellow Hotel , named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Portland’s most famous poet, opened in May, with 48 guest rooms and a spa on the edge of the historic West End neighborhood. A bar named for Longfellow’s five-man literary group, the Five of Clubs, is the lobby’s focal point. Rooms start at $499, higher during the summer season.
• Canopy by Hilton on the Portland Waterfront opened in 2021 and has one feature that truly sets it apart: a year-round rooftop bar, called Luna , where you can watch the sky over the Fore River change colors in the evening. With 135 rooms, it sits on a quieter block on Commercial Street, a tourist destination for shopping, dining and exploring the waterfront. Rooms start at $399 during the warmer months, higher for a water view.
• The Holiday Inn By the Bay is a more affordable mainstay. Guest rooms and event spaces in this 239-room hotel, built in 1973, have been renovated since 2020. The location is convenient — a block from the Portland Museum of Art — and room rates start around $160.
• While regulated Airbnbs are allowed in Portland, short-term rentals can be hard to find in summer months. With advance planning, look in Munjoy Hill, for easy access to the Eastern Promenade. To expand your search, consider staying in South Portland, just across the Casco Bay Bridge.
• Many attractions on the Portland peninsula are within walking distance of one another. Greater Portland Metro’s bus service offers connections to the Portland Transportation Center, with bus and train service from Boston and other points, and also runs a route that circles most of the peninsula. A single ride for most adults is $2. Be sure to check for updated schedules . Uber and Lyft offer generally reliable service. The city has a biking culture but a long way to go in developing bike lanes . Those who travel by car should read parking lot signs carefully, as ticketing can be aggressive.

Post Supply

A four-block stretch of Washington Avenue is a food hub good for shopping as well as eating. Start your stroll at Onggi , a fermentation market and cafe, where shelves are stocked with sake, chili crisp, pickled blueberries and more. Buy a hojicha-butterscotch oat cookie ($3.25 each) to enjoy as you wander south to browse high-end kitchenware and Maine-made home goods at Strata and Post Supply , found inside what once was the J.J. Nissen bakery, where the New England top-split hot dog bun was created. On the way: The repurposed shipping containers at the Black Box , which serve as five tiny shops with month-to-month leases. Arriving in July is a pop-up version of Rabelais , a renowned seller of rare food-and-drink books.

On to the eating, but how to choose? Texas-style barbecue is served on Terlingua’s sprawling back decks (one pound of house-smoked meats with a side, cornbread and pickles, $35), while sake and shared plates, such as fried tofu with jalapeño soy sauce and bonito ($7) or sautéed udon noodles with duck breast and vegetables ($15) can be found at Izakaya Minato . Công Tử Bột offers a warm welcome, with Vietnamese food ordered family style, great cocktails and a buzzy dining area that’s especially pleasant when the garage-style doors are open. Try the salad of puffed rice, oyster mushrooms and “pickled stuff” dressed with chile oil ($17) or the twice-cooked eggplant ($14). Leave room for chè chuối, a dessert of tapioca, coconut and banana that is more than the sum of its parts ($11).

After dinner, take a short stroll up Munjoy Hill, which dominates the eastern end of the city’s peninsula, to enjoy not one but two incredible views. At the end of Marion Street, follow the stone steps up to Fort Sumner Park, which looks west over Portland’s Back Cove. On a clear day, you can see the peak of Mount Washington and an exceptional sunset. From there, walk up Quebec Street to arrive at the Eastern Promenade, a 78-acre park that looks east over Casco Bay. Lounge on the grass or head back downhill on Congress Street to sit outside at Oxbow , one of the many Maine breweries that make beer in Portland or have outposts here, or choose from a long list of ciders on tap (from $7.50) at the Basque-inspired Anoche .

A four-block stretch of Washington Avenue is known for good shopping as well as good eating, including at places like Island Creek Oysters.

Ugly Duckling

Ugly Duckling , which opened in 2023 with a big U-shaped counter and a come-as-you-are vibe, is the latest project by Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti, owners of the nearby Spanish-French brasserie Chaval. Breakfast sandwiches come on housemade English muffins. The No. 2, which includes two fried eggs, house pork sausage, American cheese and ketchup, is a popular order ($11.75). You might need a fork to finish the Como Se Dice Buongiorno ($12.75): fried egg, hash brown, prosciutto, jalapeño, arugula and garlic aioli on an English muffin with everything-bagel seasoning.

Catch the 10:15 a.m. boat to Peaks Island at the Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal on Commercial Street. The island, with nearly 1,000 year-round residents, was once home to an amusement park and now has a no-shoes-required vibe. Part of the city of Portland, it sits just three miles offshore but feels much farther. During the 17-minute trip (from April to October: $14 roundtrip for adults, $7 for seniors and children), take in a view of Portland from the water, watch for harbor seals and pass by Fort Gorges, a formidable granite military fort built in the mid-19th century and now a frequent host to kayak tours and history buffs.

You can explore the island by foot, but a bike is handy to make the nearly four-mile loop around the perimeter. Bring your own on the ferry for an extra fee ($7 adult, $3.50 children), or rent one from Brad & Wyatt’s Island Bike Rental ($20 for two hours, $30 for four hours — rentals are first-come, first-served, no website). You’ll find great spots for exploring the rocks on the east side of the island, with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Before catching the return ferry, circle back to Il Leone for salad and pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven and eaten at a shady picnic table. The menu typically includes at least one pie that follows the harvest, highlighting Maine-grown garlic scapes, heirloom tomatoes or squash blossoms (pizzas start at $17.95).

Think of an indoor flea market and you might imagine rows of booths, some full of beauty, others full of dust. Back on the mainland, Open House instead arranges furniture in cozy living-room vignettes throughout its 10,000-square-foot shop on Congress Street, which has a large selection of vintage clothing and handcrafted goods. Items range in price from $5 for packable trinkets to a few thousand dollars for midcentury-modern antiques. And the owners welcome browsers — no stuffy gatekeepers here.

Maine has a rich literary past and present — for starters, Stephen King and Lois Lowry live and write in the state. In Portland, used, independent and specialty bookstores abound. Linger in the beautiful children’s section at Back Cove Books , in the Woodfords Corner neighborhood, which displays its biographies and current affairs books in an old bank vault. Or visit Print: A Bookstore , with its expertly curated staff picks and a large section highlighting Maine writers. Both shops draw an impressive slate of author readings and other events each month, so check their calendars online.

Plenty of restaurants in Portland serve lobster, but few get you as close to the lobster boat as Luke’s Lobster , a lobster-shack chain that has a full-service restaurant on the end of Portland Pier, off Commercial Street. The two-story restaurant, with a view of the Fore River as it meets Casco Bay, sits next to the company’s commercial lobster-buying facility, where lobster boats dock to sell their catch, some of which goes directly to the kitchen. (No reservations during the peak summer season.) Or reserve a table at Bar Futo in the Old Port to try skewers of squid, fish, pork belly or chicken ($7 to $9 each) grilled over binchotan, or Japanese charcoal, alongside a perfectly carbonated whiskey highball made with a Suntory Toki machine ($14).

Blue Portland Maine

Portland’s go-to venue for summer concerts by nationally touring artists is Thompson’s Point , an outdoor stage near the bank of the Fore River. Included in the 2024 lineup are Goose, Counting Crows and Dark Star Orchestra. But One Longfellow Square , in the West End with 180 seats, has a cozy feel that lends itself well to the folk and roots music that makes up most of its shows. Ticket prices vary but start around $20. Just half a block away is Blue Portland Maine , which hosts jazz and more. Half the shows are ticketed, with prices between $10 and $20, and half are free with a hat passed for the artists.

The Old Port, with its cobblestone streets and old brick buildings, is Portland’s traditional tourist district.

Start your Sunday at Hot Suppa! , with some shrimp and cheesy grits ($22) or scrambalaya ($17) — that’s eggs scrambled with jambalaya. Don’t choose your meal without consulting the specials, which highlight the kitchen’s from-scratch Southern cooking and seasonal produce. Recently, they included eggs Benedict with bacon and ramps ($23). And if your plate doesn’t already include corned beef hash, order a side for the table ($16).

Intricacy and devotion are on display in “ Jeremy Frey: Woven ,” through Sept. 15 at the Portland Museum of Art . Mr. Frey is a seventh-generation basketmaker from the Passamaquoddy tribe in Maine whose works have been shown at art markets for years and are found in major museums across the United States. This is the first solo museum exhibition for Frey, with more than 50 baskets and a short film documenting his process. While at the museum, you can see paintings by Winslow Homer and N.C. Wyeth, but don’t miss the work of artists who have broadened and deepened the legacy of Maine art in recent decades, including paintings by Reggie Burrows Hodges and Daniel Minter , and sculpture by Lauren Fensterstock . (Admission free for ages 21 and under. Seniors and students, $18. All others, $20.)

Portland Head Light

Leave time for the 15-minute drive out to Fort Williams Park , a 90-acre park owned by the nearby town of Cape Elizabeth that has a cliff walk, a children’s garden and a panoramic view of Casco Bay. It’s also home to Portland Head Light , a historic and much-photographed lighthouse. If you haven’t eaten a lobster roll yet (or even if you have), visit the Bite Into Maine food truck to choose between a Maine-style with mayo or a Connecticut-style with butter, or try the picnic-style roll, with lobster piled on a bed of coleslaw ($29.95). Yes, these rolls are pricey, but consider the view.

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Essays on Consider The Lobster

Consider the Lobster is a collection of essays by the renowned author David Foster Wallace. The essays cover a wide range of topics, from the ethics of boiling lobsters alive to the inner workings of the adult film industry. When it comes to choosing an essay topic for Consider the Lobster, the possibilities are endless. In this article, we will discuss the importance of choosing the right topic, offer advice on how to do so, and provide a detailed list of recommended essay topics divided by category.

Choosing the right topic for your essay on Consider the Lobster is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it will determine the direction of your research and the depth of your analysis. Secondly, it will impact the level of engagement you have with the subject matter, which will ultimately affect the quality of your writing. Lastly, a well-chosen topic will captivate your readers and make your essay more memorable.

When choosing a topic for your essay on Consider the Lobster, it's important to consider your own interests and strengths. Think about the themes and ideas that resonated with you the most while reading the essays. Consider the Lobster covers a wide range of topics, so you have the freedom to explore various angles and perspectives. Make sure to choose a topic that you are passionate about and that allows for in-depth analysis and critical thinking.

Helpful List of The Lobster Essay Topics

Animal ethics.

• Is it ethical to boil lobsters alive? Discuss the ethical implications of this practice.
• Compare and contrast the treatment of animals in Consider the Lobster with other works of literature.
• Explore the theme of animal suffering in David Foster Wallace's essays.

Media and Entertainment

• Examine the portrayal of the adult film industry in Consider the Lobster.
• Discuss the impact of media and entertainment on society, as depicted in the essays.
• Analyze David Foster Wallace's critique of modern entertainment culture.

Philosophy and Morality

• Discuss the concept of morality and ethical behavior in Consider the Lobster.
• Examine the philosophical themes present in David Foster Wallace's essays.
• Explore the idea of moral responsibility as it relates to the consumption of entertainment and media.

Language and Rhetoric

• Analyze the use of language and rhetoric in Consider the Lobster.
• Explore the role of language in shaping the reader's perception of the essays.
• Discuss the effectiveness of David Foster Wallace's writing style in conveying his ideas.

Politics and Society

• Examine the political and social commentary present in the essays.
• Analyze the essays in the context of contemporary political and social issues.
• Discuss the implications of David Foster Wallace's observations on society and politics.

Choosing the right essay topic for Consider the Lobster is essential for producing a compelling and impactful piece of writing. By considering your interests and strengths, as well as the themes and ideas present in the essays, you can select a topic that will engage both you and your readers. The recommended essay topics provided above offer a starting point for your exploration of Consider the Lobster, but the possibilities are truly endless. With the right topic and a thoughtful approach, your essay on Consider the Lobster can be both enlightening and thought-provoking.

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December 13, 2005

David Foster Wallace

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Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays Kindle Edition

• ISBN-13 978-0316156110
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date December 1, 2005
• Language English
• File size 919 KB
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Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., consider the lobster, back bay books, chapter one.

Continues... Excerpted from Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace Copyright © 2007 by David Foster Wallace. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000S1LVHW
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (December 1, 2005)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2005
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 919 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 505 pages
• #52 in Essays (Kindle Store)
• #196 in Essays (Books)
• #245 in Philosophy (Kindle Store)

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About the author

David foster wallace.

David Foster Wallace wrote the acclaimed novels Infinite Jest and The Broom of the System and the story collections Oblivion, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and Girl With Curious Hair. His nonfiction includes the essay collections Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, and the full-length work Everything and More.  He died in 2008.

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