Underworld

In 1957, Erica Deming makes “Jell-O chicken mousse for dinner” (513). She is proud of her many elaborate Jell-O creations. In the other room, her young son, Eric, thinks about the actress Jayne Mansfield while he masturbates. He ejaculates into a condom, washes it out, and plans to reuse it later. When Eric’s father, Rick, returns home, the family sits down to dinner. They discuss the Sputnik spacecraft that has recently launched and may be “visible on clear nights” (518). Erica resents the satellite’s presence in the sky and thinks about her son’s strange behavior.

In 1964, a young woman named Rose Meriweather Martin travels from New York City to attend a sit-in protest in a segregated waiting room as part of the civil rights movement. After watching the protestors assemble, the police beat and gas the protestors. Rose stands amid the chaos and the violence, watching a police officer advance toward her. She knows that she will be hurt but she doesn’t care. Instead, she runs directly at the officer, feeling “fast and light and unstoppable” (526).

In 1961, Charles Wainwright repeats a joke by the comedian Lenny Bruce while talking to a client on the telephone. He works for an ad agency with offices in the Fred F. French Building. Charles is putting together an advertising campaign for lawn fertilizer titled “Bomb Your Lawn.” In the advertising firm, discussions have been held as to whether they can hire the real-life “Mad Bomber,” George Metesky, who detonated a series of bombs in the 1940s and 1950s. They discuss whether they could arrange for him to film a commercial in prison. Charles thinks about the baseball memorabilia that is scattered around his office. In one photograph, Bobby Thomson is about to hit the Shot Heard ’Round the World. Charles bought what he believes to be that very same baseball, and he “dearly” wants to leave it to his son, Chuckie. As he leaves work for the day, Charles is struck by a sudden urge to take the baseball with him, concerned that someone will steal it from his office.

In 1955, Nick Shay, having been moved to the a Jesuit rehabilitation facility, speaks to a priest named Father Paulus about his mental state. They talk about fighting and physical violence. They discuss the world around them, with Father Paulus able to change Nick’s perception of reality by using his boot as an example: Nick is able to name some but not all parts of the boot. Reality, Father Paulus suggests, is similarly filled with many parts that Nick cannot name or identify. The priest explains how “everyday things lie hidden” because people do not know their names (541).

In 1962, Lenny Bruce performs his comedy routine, including the same “we’re all gonna die” joke (547). The crowd laughs and the lights cut out. Plunged into darkness, the crowd wonders whether this is actually the end of the world. The lights return and the show is over.

In 1957, Nick is out of prison, driving across the country with a woman named Amy. They joke and flirt, with Amy teasing Nick for hiding so much of his private life from her and for wanting her “too much.”

In 1966, J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI, prepares for a masked ball. He will be attending the ball with Clyde Tolson, also known as Junior. They talk about a group of political activists who are against the Vietnam War. These activists are planning to go through Hoover’s garbage and then turn what they find into an art exhibit. Hoover and Clyde talk about the mafia, whose garbage they inspected during their investigation. Hoover plans to use “fake garbage” to trick the protestors. Their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Tanya Berenger, a costume designer. She has created a leather mask especially for Hoover. Outside the hotel, a protest against the Vietnam War is growing increasingly loud. Hoover is annoyed that they are intruding on his preparations. To him, the protestors’ misguided politics are caused by “random sexual urges” (564). He views himself as an upstanding, abstinent man. At the same time, however, he remembers his habit of watching Clyde in the mirror.

In 1967, Matt’s future wife, Janet, jogs from her hospital to her home.

In 1966, Edgar and Clyde ride in a limo to the gala. The driver notices that they are being followed by a “psychedelic” Volkswagen Beetle. When the Beetle pulls alongside the limo, they see it is filled with young hippies. At the Plaza Hotel, where the gala is being held, another group of protestors is already waiting. They chant anti-war slogans at the gala attendees. Inside, Hoover and Clyde gossip about the masked partygoers. Among the guests is Klara Sax. Hoover urges Clyde to dance with a woman, and as he watches them, he feels himself becoming sexually aroused. He thinks about his efforts to expose gay men within the US government. The young woman runs from Clyde just as a group of protestors storms the party and performs a macabre dance routine. The woman joins them. The party finishes abruptly, with Clyde feeling embarrassed for being taken in by the protestor. He insists that he would give up any thought of love because he is so dedicated to being Hoover’s “life companion and loyal second man” (579).

In 1962, Lenny Bruce is on stage again. In the previous two days, news reports have indicated that Soviet ships laden with missiles and warheads are on their way to Cuba. Throughout his set, he repeats the words “we’re all gonna die” with increasing intensity (584). Lenny performs a joke in which he tries to speak while fitting a condom on his tongue. He talks about sex, saying that “the whole point of the missile crisis is the sexual opportunity it offers” (586).

In 1959, Nick and Amy drive to Mexico to get an abortion. After admitting that he is having second thoughts, Nick inspects the pictures hung up on the clinic walls. To him, they seem like “occult symbols,” and he is unsettled by them. He is also perturbed that he can smell food cooking. As he sits in the waiting room, he reflects on his “fling” with Amy that has somehow lasted two years. They are not a good match, he now believes. Though he feels a need to be strong for her, Nick fears that he is actually a weak man.

In 1962, Lenny takes to the stage again. He talks about nominative determinism, wondering whether the men “deciding our fate” in the White House were destined for their future roles when they were named (591). He shouts his catchphrase at the crowd again, leading them “in a chorus of the chant” (594).

In 1967, Marian introduces her family to Nick for the first time. Marian’s mother believes that Marian has been keeping things from her, but Marian disagrees. On the day of the planned meeting, the neighborhood is filled with people protesting the Vietnam War. Though she has a complex relationship with her mother, Marian is pleased to be at home. She returns to her childhood bedroom and listens to the radio. News reports update her on the protests outside; the protestors have taken over the radio broadcast and provide recipes for homemade napalm. Police use increasingly violent tactics to quell the protest, finally firing tear gas at the protestors. When the regular news returns, the reports are punctuated by commercials from firms like Dow Chemical. Marian telephones Nick. She tells him that they should get married. Nick says nothing and they carry on talking awkwardly.

In 1953, Matt is sent to the butcher by his mother. He misses his older brother.

In 1969, two airmen in Vietnam, Louis and Chuckie, prepare for a mission. They chat breezily about the painting of the woman on the nose of the plane, named Long Tall Sally. Louis mentions that the original Sally—taken from a song by Little Richard—was actually a sex worker. They take off. As they fly, Chuckie thinks about his marriage. He is pessimistic about his future. He also thinks about the baseball given to him by his father, which he lost. He wishes that he had taken better care of it. Chuckie has dropped many bombs during his time in Vietnam. He drops another volley of bombs, completing the mission. As the bombs explode below, he feels a glow like “the touch of God” (613).

In 1965, Nick goes back to New York after spending some time with the Jesuits. He meets an old schoolfriend named Jerry and they share a drink. They chat about their old neighborhood, which is now very different. Nick is surprised to learn that one of their old friends did not die in the Vietnam War as Nick believed. When Jerry suggests that Nick join him for an old neighborhood reunion, Nick is reluctant. The city is hit by a blackout and Nick uses the opportunity to slip away. He walks back to his hotel.

In 1962, Lenny Bruce is on stage. With the Cuban Missile Crisis over, he has changed his catchphrase to “we’re not gonna die” (624). In the audience, the police have planted undercover cops who speak Yiddish to catch the obscenities Lenny uses. He tells a story about a rich American who visits San Juan after the death of his wife. He finds a sex worker who claims to be able to blow smoke rings using her vagina. After falling for the woman, the rich man tries to put an end to her sex work. They marry, and after Lenny describes their wedding night, he changes the course of the joke. The rich American, he says, was an invention. Nobody helped the woman but herself; she saved her money and flew to New York City. Almost all the details of the story were a lie, Lenny says. He encourages the crowd to give her a name to “make her human” (632). He abandons the bit and plays out the rest of the show with old material.

In 1965, Nick continues to walk through the blacked-out city to his hotel. After thinking about Jerry, he takes a cab. At his hotel, he thinks about Marian but does not call her.

At the baseball stadium, surrounded by a crowd of joyous fans, Manx feels the weight of the stolen ball in his pocket. He does not want to try to sell the baseball to a Black fan, as he believes that they will accuse him of trying to scam them. He approaches various white fans before eventually meeting Charles Wainwright, who is purchasing tickets for himself and his son, Chuckie. Manx feels drawn to Charles, sensing immediately that he can be forthright with him. When he explains the story to Charles, he feels guilty. Charles clearly believes the true story, which suggests that he would believe a fake one just as much. Charles and Manx discuss the problems of being a father. They share a drink from Charles’s hipflask. Amid the cold, Manx drags a garbage can with burning materials closer to Charles and his son. He burns his hands on the metal. In an effort to engage Chuckie’s attention, Charles agrees to buy the baseball. Manx tells Charles to name his price. Charles pulls $32 and some change from his pocket. Manx is pleased with the fee, much more than he will earn from stealing shovels. As Manx walks home, he realizes that the baseball will only accumulate in value and begins to regret selling it. At home, his wife, Ivie, helps to treat his burned hand.