Good Old Neon Summary
David Foster Wallace

Good Old Neon Overview

“Good Old Neon” is a short story by David Foster Wallace. It was first published in the magazine Conjunctions in 2001. In 2004, it was published in the story collection Oblivion. In the story, a deceased man named Neal narrates certain parts of his life from the afterlife. Throughout his life, Neal was plagued by an inherent sense of fraudulence and an inability to be genuine with others. Due to the unhappiness caused by these traits, and the seeming inability to escape them, Neal decided to kill himself. This story explores themes of disingenuousness, fear, language, and self-expression.