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Alcoholics Anonymous

This addiction support group is often recommended by the respondent as a means for letter-writers to pursue and receive assistance.

Cancer

This illness, repeatedly referenced in the text, is among the primary killers with which the memoir deals.

David Foster Wallace

This writer, who committed suicide, is cited as a standard of comparison for other writers by a letter-writer to whom the respondent gives writing advice.

Degree

This achievement is repeatedly cited as a milestone in people’s lives, though it is also noted its utility is far from certain.

Hollywood

This neighborhood serves as a metonym for the U.S. movie industry and, more broadly, dominant popular culture in the U.S.

Jesus

This messianic figure is notably shorn of normal context, connoting a relative distance from religion.

Rilke

This poet, noted for expressivist writing and lyrical intensity, is repeatedly referenced by the respondent and...

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