44 pages • 1 hour read
Denis JohnsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The protagonist and narrator of all the stories in Jesus’ Son is a self-destructive man known only by the nickname of F**khead. He has a substance use disorder, with both drugs and alcohol. Each story surrounds a different time in F**khead’s life, typically while he antagonizes those around him while trying to acquire substances. The scattered, surreal, nonlinear narrative structure and descriptive writing of Jesus’ Son means that very little is revealed about F**khead’s early life, family, physical appearance, or interests.
F**khead’s narration can be typically considered unreliable, if only because he’s nearly always under the influence. Occasionally, F**khead shows knowledge of events that he shouldn’t know, such as his premonitions from “Car Crash While Hitchhiking,” demonstrating this unreliability. However, the unreliability serves a narrative purpose, as it shows the extent to which F**khead’s daily life is affected by his Substance Use Disorder.
F**khead’s interactions with people typically demonstrate his unreliable and chaotic behavior. F**khead hurts many people, and allows many more to be hurt, with his internal monologue, demonstrating the tension between his behavior and his desire to be a better person. Through the course of the collection, F**khead demonstrates a willingness to change his behavior and improve as a person, such as his multiple stints in detox.
By Denis Johnson
Addiction
View Collection
American Literature
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Forgiveness
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Grief
View Collection
Guilt
View Collection
Hate & Anger
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
Pride & Shame
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
School Book List Titles
View Collection
The Future
View Collection
The Past
View Collection