What is the significance of the dentist visit in Ishmael? My thought was that it was to show that roadblocks can be physical, not just mental, but other than that I don’t understand why it’s in the book.

I’m afraid that, like the visit from the uncle who needed to be entertained, it has no deep significance. It merely served a narrative purpose, which was to get the narrator out of the way while Ishmael “escaped” from Room 105.

ID: 631
posted:
updated: 14 Jul 2003