Symbol of Diving Board
David Foster Wallace uses the diving board in "Forever Overhead" to mark the character's incipient sense of identity as a young adolescent. This symbol measures the plot throughout the story and shows how the reader perceives the boy through the words Wallace provides; we also see how the character views the diving board as a symbol for his own life.
Allegory of Aging
David Foster Wallace's decision to begin the anthology with a story about an aging poet leads to an allegory throughout the stories of the concept of aging; the direction of observation changes as characters act and give interviews, but the events of even the shortest stories lead to older and more worldly states of being for the characters involved. As the collection, which is meant to be read from beginning to end, advances, the allegory remains and is exhibited in what the characters notice.
Motif of Interview
The men who provide interviews in the stories have reason to provide their thoughts on various topics, including women; the gross inadequacy they exhibit is a motif that pursues the book even during stories without these interviews. Because of the book's title and primary storyline, the motif of interview permeates the book and leads the reader to continually be aware of the possibility of interview. Characters demonstrate their state of mind and way of perceiving specific things. Through this, the reader grasps the concept of an interview as well as knowledge of those who are being interviewed.
Motif of Distance
The concept of distance is provided in many ways, such as the physical distance in "Forever Overhead," the distance inherent between parties during an interview, and the distance of individuals contemplating the events of earlier parts of life. Through this motif, Wallace drives at a sense of connection which is often delayed through his use of the subjective correlative in the repetition of phrases and details. The word "Brief" in the book's title provides the containment necessary to achieve true distance; through this choice, the motif of distance is never far away.
Allegory of Fascination
The idea of fascination is explicitly given in the beginning of one of the stories entitled "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men," and the allegory is interesting because it begins with the book's title. The notion of a hideous man draws in the reader, but the format of brief interview reassures the individual that none of these hideous men will occupy more than his fair share of attention. The characters are often not interested in one another, but the structure of interviews exists to satisfy the curiousity of the audience for the interview regarding someone else's life or what they wish to talk about. David Foster Wallace plays with the fact his book is being read when invoking the fascination which he alludes to and extrapolates.
