Chapter 12 is one of the most important in the novel. In it, Alfred reaches his lowest point but experiences a kind of epiphany, a moment of clarity or self-awareness. Alfred eventually transcends the crisis that begins with the party and ends, appropriately, in a conversation with Mr. Donatelli after Alfred has, once more, climbed those symbolic stairs to the gym.
Lipsyte is a master of imagery, and the imagery is especially powerful as he describes Alfred's further descent and eventual resurrection. In the first sentence of the chapter, Lipsyte does not say that the telephone is ringing; instead, he writes, "the rattlesnake was buzzing." Some annoying, probably dangerous force brings Alfred to consciousness. Instead of simply stating that Alfred feels sick, Lipsyte applies metaphors from the gym where Alfred has spent so many hours training in recent weeks: Jelly Belly seems to sit on his head; Jose and Angel, chattering too loudly and in Spanish, seem to jump on his stomach; Mr. Donatelli shouts at him repeatedly. Finally, Alfred realizes that the noise is just the telephone ringing.
Alfred's trip to Coney Island with Major and his friends is more like a descent into hell than a trip to an amusement center. It is hot and noisy. The streets off the boardwalk are "choked" with young people. The smells of cotton candy, fried chicken, barbecue, and hot dogs, which we might think of as tantalizing, cause Alfred's stomach to cramp. Babies cry. Fear of the police results in an escape that is chaotic and causes Alfred injury. First, Major nearly runs over a baby carriage in the crowded street. When everyone abandons the car, Alfred badly sprains his ankle, adding to the torture of his flight. When he finally gets something to eat, he vomits it onto himself as well as over the boardwalk railing. Someone calls him "disgusting," and another person thinks he must be a junkie who can't hold down food. Later, he notices dried vomit on his shoes. People back away from Alfred, repelled by the way he smells.
