Bruce Green Character Analysis in Infinite Jest

Bruce Green is first introduced when he is in 8th grade and falls in love with Mildred Bonk. They move in together and Green gets her name tattooed onto his body. He develops substance abuse problems and ends up at Ennet House. There, he reveals that he accidentally killed his mother with a practical joke.

Bruce Green Character Timeline in Infinite Jest

The timeline below shows where the character Bruce Green appears in Infinite Jest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The narrative switches back to the third person. In 8th grade, Bruce Green falls in love with a stunningly beautiful girl in his class called Mildred Bonk. By... (full context)

...The most regrettable tattoos are the ones men get of women’s names, such as Bruce Green’s tattoo that reads MILDRED BONK. After two months of obsessive thinking about tattoos, Ewell asks... (full context)

...is a punk heroin addict who has been homeless since the age of 16. Bruce Green, who has the MILDRED BONK tattoo, has even worse insomnia than the average Ennet House... (full context)

One night after a White Flag meeting, Bruce Green asks Lenz if he can join him on his walk home. Green then starts doing... (full context)

Reality as Corporate Dystopia Theme Icon

Wednesday 11 November Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment. Randy Lenz and Bruce Green are walking together. Lenz has realized that he likes Green, which gives him intense social... (full context)

...to hide the fact that he is grinding his teeth together. He keeps talking to Green, telling him stories from his time as a coke dealer. Green comments that he can... (full context)

...and the Swiss model had the same accent. Meanwhile, Lenz continues to chatter away to Green, telling excessively detailed stories about his obese mother and her eventual death. Green’s own parents... (full context)

Unable to continue teaching aerobics, Green’s father worked for a practical joke company instead. One Christmas, a very young Bruce played... (full context)

It is a very misty night, and Green keeps losing sight of Lenz before finding him again. Green recalls a Hawaiian beach-themed party... (full context)

Green wants to call out to stop him but is strangely suffocated and can’t say anything... (full context)

...before Gately locks the door for the night, and by 11:30 Amy J. and Bruce Green are both still missing. At 11:36 pm Green shows up; Gately lets him in and... (full context)

Gately dislikes the fact that he must now ask Green for a urine test, as the two of them are friends, but Green complies with... (full context)

Despite his recent scolding, Green offers to move a mis-parked car belonging to a resident lying in bed with a... (full context)

...feels that he’s been shot in the shoulder. The fight continues with Nell Gunther and Green joining in as Joelle shouts something inaudible from her window. More residents get involved and... (full context)

...discussing whether they should call Pat, an ambulance, or someone else. Gately asks Lenz and Green to carry him inside and insists that nobody call anyone until this is done. He... (full context)

...he was sure he knew her from somewhere. Joelle squeezes Gately’s arm, and Lenz and Green lift him up. (full context)

...slot on Dream Duty at Ennet House. Kate Gompert, Geoffrey Day, Ken Erdedy, and Bruce Green are watching cartridges in the living room. Everyone is still recovering from Wednesday’s events outside... (full context)

...the biggest problem they’re facing is that the gun Gately was shot with is missing. Green says he seized it from one of the Canadians and then dropped it on the... (full context)