Knowledge And Addiction Play
Roles Knowledge and Addiction Play In Palahniuk’s novel “Choke”, a med-school dropout and sex addict, Victor Mancini, takes a the job playing a colonial era servant to pay for the care of his Mother. Due to the excessive medical bills, he has to play the role of a ruthless con artist. Victor’s scam is to pretend to choke on food while dining in restaurants, and then he allows himself to be saved by a stranger. This stranger then becomes a “hero” and feels responsible for saving Victor’s life, which involves sending checks to support him. Victor uses his knowledge for his addictions to sleep with women and to seek out his future patrons for his scam. Victor presents his knowledge in several different ways throughout Palahniuk’s novel.