Pages 256-290 Summary and Analysis

Wallace begins his seventh and last essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" sitting in the Fort Lauderdale Airport remembering his experiences after a week long cruise. Wallace feels surprised that he was given an assignment with such a large budget with the only requirement being that he write about his experiences on the cruise. Despite the fact that a cruise is supposed to be a pleasurable experience, Wallace experiences it as despair. This despair is not due to the physical conditions of the ship, which Wallace describes as incredibly clean and pleasant, or the numerous activities on board. Wallace connects the frequent use of the term "pamper" in the cruise's brochure with the diaper brand of the same name in the sense that people come on cruises to be treated like children.

Wallace also argues that...