In life, there are numerous internal struggles we all encounter. These usually revolve around our moral views and beliefs. These struggles are sometimes vocalized in certain circumstances and the discussion can only be pushed to a certain point. This can be connected to an article written by David Foster Wallace, “Consider the Lobster”. This article touches upon many difficult topics that cover a wide range on controversial viewpoints which allow the reader to really ponder their views on certain matters. Wallace’s main argument, “there are limits to what even interested persons can ask of each other,” involves the idea that there are certain breaking points on issues that some may never agree with the other on. Many have varying viewpoints that they will stick by no matter what. Wallace is sure to include many different aspects of this emotional struggle with important issues, such as economics, animal cruelty and social standings between humans and animals. Wallace’s viewpoints can be compared to many others’, such as Ross Anderson who wrote an article, “What the Crows Know”, discussing his viewpoint on the many issues revolving around animals, their importance to us a humans, their interactions with us and there overall conscience levels. Another opinion on such matters is Hal Herzog’s, he wrote an article called “Animals Like Us” which discusses the social standings of animals in comparison to those of humans as well as their values with animal cruelty and whether what we do should be acceptable or not. The three authors together all bring forth such critical and controversial viewpoints that are widely discussed but usually never agreed upon.
Wallace brings in all of his viewpoints through the simple yet complex conversation of the lobster, “the spider of the sea” (Wallace 1). Wallace makes you take into consideration how we treat the lobsters and for what purpose. In some cases, it is due to the economy. Lobsters bring in a lot of money, in many different ways. In Wallace’s article he talks about the Maine Lobster Festival, which is an annual festival that occurs yearly and brings in a large number of tourists and regulars who are willing to spend large amounts of money all due to something revolving around the lobster. All aspects of the festival have some sort of impact on the economy, “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” (Wallace 1). With these industries being the driving forces of the midcoast, it is important that they thrive, to keep the economy in this area booming. Other creatures and animals can also bring in this sort of income, in the same areas as well as in others. The food, shipping and tourist industries are big parts of our economy from both a large scale and a small scale.
