Chomp

The violence that has thus far been depicted fairly cartoonishly becomes intensely real when Jared shoots both Link and Mickey. While Mickey’s injury isn’t immediately life-threatening, Link’s definitely is, and Hiaasen uses the inherent tension of the situation to create new sympathy for the otherwise brutish airboat driver who deliberately threw Mickey overboard and tried to run him down earlier in the novel. While this initial altercation with Mickey is really just a brief personality clash, Link becomes more fully developed in this section of the novel as his matter-of-fact courage and his bond with Tuna reveal him to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances rather than an outright antagonist.

In the face of Jared’s terrorism, every character displays courage and fortitude, and the protagonists’ moral fiber is revealed. Mickey’s innate sense of ethics will not allow him to abandon Tuna to danger, even at the risk of losing his own life, and he demonstrates his ability to keep his wits under pressure when he tricks Jared into wasting his bullets. Likewise, Wahoo puts his own life on the line when Jared threatens to shoot his father, and his decision to jump out of his hiding place in full view of an armed assailant emphasizes his heroic status. Even the bumbling Derek Badger gets his heroic moment in the spotlight, even if his courage is fueled by delirium, and the wild success of the Everglades episode marks a positive change in the TV star, who reacts to his firing by expressing gratitude for the good run he’s had. He even signs Tuna’s coat with a humble “Your fan, Derek Badger” (278). With this unlikely redemption, Hiaasen implies that even the most egotistical and pampered celebrity can abandon their self-centered tendencies under the right circumstances.

As Link ventures out of his solitude and becomes a tour guide for the Miccosukee Reservation and the Crays use their earnings to pay off their debts, the novel’s conclusion proves that Chomp is, in many ways, a morality tale. While Wahoo and Tuna enjoy the opportunity to continue their friendship even as Jared finally pays for his many crimes, it is clear that those who live by a virtuous moral code are rewarded, while those who don’t are punished. This code extends even to the supporting characters, for Raven Stark is rewarded for her patience and dedication when she is allowed to remain as a producer of Expedition Survival! And work alongside the “charming, extremely good-looking” (283) Brick Jeffers, Badger’s replacement. By contrast, Hollywood, which sometimes overestimates its status in the American imagination, receives harsh treatment for its profit-at-all-costs business ethics and overall phoniness, for Hiaasen devotes much more time to developing the endearing nature of the oddballs who populate Florida’s untamed fringes than he does to depicting the antics of show business personalities such as the heartless Gerry Germaine. Thus, despite the many eccentricities of the narrative, Hiaasen makes sure to provide readers with a conclusion that ties up all loose ends and honors a sense of justice.