“It's important to be aware. She still wants to make a difference.”
It was easy for me to assume that these characters were very one-dimensional. Inky’s quips about this being the new that – lime is the new pink, insanity is the new sanity, dressing down is the new dressing up – gave the impression that she was only concerned with being in style and going along with the newest trends, no matter how absurd. With this in mind, it seemed very likely that Packer and Evelyn were less concerned with the actual causes they were helping and more with the social gatherings that came with them. Spending their money on banquets, cocktail parties and silent auctions for various charities, perhaps as an excuse to show off their wealth. This assumption can be backed by their turn to social diving as soon as they were introduced to the concept. Evelyn easily gave up her silent auction for teen sex workers to spend the night on the streets, drinking cheap liquor and wrapping herself in a trash bag. Further more, she and Parker choose, out of embarrassment, not to go to the police about the kidnapped girl they witnessed. However, in the end, Evelyn continues to give money to the numerous charities she’s invited to, even though she doesn’t attend. So I’m left wondering - did she value charity before the death of her friend and husband or does she now feel obligated to make a difference because she has truly seen life on the streets and how the other half lives. Not totally surprising of Palahnuik, this is both a disgusting and thought-provoking passage.
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