Analysis Of Decent Of Man By T. Coraghessan Boyle

In the short story, "Decent of man" author T. Coraghessan Boyle introduces dark humor to describe the dying love between the narrator and his girlfriend Jane as she falls romantically for a chimpanzee named Konrad. This is entirely due to her primate research occupation, and possibly the narrators unacceptance towards her work. The narrator starts out by identifying his strong dislike of the horrific odor that permeates the room from Jane working with the small furry creatures. He uses vivid detail to describe the sharp or "razor like" monkey hairs she carries home, and the decaying fruit descending out of her hair into every nook and cranny in the living spaces. The inhuman transformation that Jane was taking on even led her to eating insects
and lacking basic hygiene. He describes Jane as if she is one of her monkey subjects, and by the look of things, that is exactly what Jane was becoming. It is evident the narrator has a strong dislike for the work Jane does, but it is also clear that he still cares for her deeply. He attempts to look beyond everything that he opposes about Jane, however, she only wants him to accept it and not look over it. Specifically, the narrator has a hard time embracing everything about Jane because he feels threatened by Konrad. She thinks, breathes, and perhaps even dreams about the brilliant monkey. The janitor from the primate center, Dr. And Mrs. U-Hawk-Lo (Director of primate center and his wife), and of course Jane all fancy Konrad. Nonetheless, the narrator despises the attention the monkey receives from everyone and especially Jane. Ultimately this leads her to fall away from the narrator, and she chooses the monkey as her romantic partner.