Wallace recounts going on a Caribbean luxury cruise. He begins the essay with an overview of the many strange and wonderful things he saw on his trip aboard the Zenith (which he rechristens the Nadir). The cruise is run by one of seven identical mega-lines, all of which have the same business model. They all strive to “pamper” guests and promise the ultimate luxury experience. Wallace comments that something about these mass-market cruises is “unbearably sad.” He has little experience with the ocean beyond a childhood fascination with sharks; he did not see a single hint of a shark throughout his trip, though he constantly scanned the water for signs of shark fins.

Wallace notes that most guests aboard the ship were older people. It had various classes of employees; people from the cruise line’s country of origin (Greece, in this case) filled the upper management roles, while the custodial staff were from all over the world. Wallace recalls flicking through the brochure as he waited to board the ship and reading an article (essentially a paid advertisement) by author Frank Conroy, whose work Wallace admired. Wallace analyzed the literary style of the brochure’s

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