Wow, No Thank You.: Essays

Samantha Irby

Nonfiction | Essay Collection | Adult | Published in 2020

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

“Into the Gross”-“Are You Familiar With My Work?”

“Hysterical!”-“Detachment Parenting”

“Season 1, Episode 1”-“An Extremely Specific Guide to Publishing a Book”

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Direct Address to the Reader

While most essayists write to an assumed reader, Irby goes beyond this motif by directly addressing the reader personally, virtually making the reader one of the characters in her essays. She accomplishes this in part through her conversational tone, using many currently familiar expressions and references to Internet memes. The more significant way she draws in her readers, however, is calling them “by name.” Often, she will emphatically say, “Girl!” or “Dude!” Her intent is to invite her readers into the dialogue as confidants.

Chaotic Life

By way of lowering the expectations of the reader, Irby consistently portrays herself as existing in a state of chaos. This obviously applies to her earlier life even before she became an orphan and was unhoused. The author extends the sense of chaos to the present, however, when she describes the constant state of anxiety in which she dwells, exacerbated by her folly—for instance, finding she cannot open the door of her new business on her first day of work—and her multiple health uncertainties. Through an air of perpetual chaos, the author enhances her empathetic connection to her readers.

Fluently Polyamorous

While there are many touchstones to current social issues in Irby’s essays—such as streaming dramas, iPhones, and blended families—readers may conclude that Irby’s bisexual romantic relationships and her marriage to a white woman with two minor children are the most current concerns of all. Readers may discover that the author frequently discusses her sexual experiences and romantic entanglements in considerable detail. Her candid, casual attitude toward polyamorous lifestyles serves as the backdrop to the relaxed manner in which she describes her former romantic partners.

The Distraction of Materialism

As so often may be the case with those who have few possessions, Irby exudes real affection for material goods, something she continually expresses to her readers. Frequently, she writes of waiting for the letter carrier to deliver the latest item she purchased online. She contrasts the less expensive articles she has the ability to purchase to the pricy items owned by the wealthy. Her desire for expensive items is exacerbated by her exposure to the possessions of extremely wealthy individuals. She remarks about the exorbitant cost of certain items that, for the rich, seem inconsequential—as when she notes that some of the designer dogs she walks for $7.50 an hour cost as much as a semester of college classes. Her fascination with materialism, however, serves a purpose for Irby. It distracts her from the depression and indigence she would otherwise inevitably encounter and sets the stage for comic escape from otherwise painful topics.