Portnoy's Complaint

Alex starts to describe how he once masturbated while riding the bus. He wonders whether eating lobster for the first time inspired him to do such a thing. Lobster is not kosher, the Jewish dietary laws that Alex and his family follow. Alex speculates about whether his father had an affair though he admits that this may be conjecture. The thought of his overbearing parents worries him constantly, especially as his mother has always told him that he is brilliant. The responsibility of being intelligent—and especially more intelligent than his sister Hannah—has bothered Alex for a long time, though Hannah never seems angry with him. Alex shares stories about his mother’s transgressions, such as the time she ate lobster without knowing. These stories are the “literature of [his] childhood” (47). After the first few years of his life when he and his mother were home together all day, Alex began to feel pressure from his mother to succeed in his career, his romantic endeavors, and his social life. This pressure persists in the current day. His mother and her friends constantly brag to each other about their children’s success. Likewise, his father always asks him if he has a serious girlfriend.