A Carnival of Snackery: Chapter 6 (2007) Summary & Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In 2007, Sedaris quits smoking and travels widely: visiting Tokyo, London, Paris, and the US. He documents cultural oddities—a parasite museum, a hotel where guests wear robes, and a stranger who claims to be a spy. He studies for the UK citizenship test (Life in the UK) and passes. Encounters with eccentric fans, a neighborhood woman with a secret, and a gruesome pool incident highlight his fascination with human behavior. The year ends in La Bagotière, where he frees a mouse from a trap.

Key Events

January 2: Sedaris gives a cigarette to a stranger in Paris, lamenting his inability to say no.
January 5: He quits smoking in Tokyo and uses a nicotine patch.
January 14: He practices reading hiragana and enjoys “sea chicken” tuna.
January 17: Visit to Meguro Parasitological Museum; debates with Hugh whether a crab can live inside a human.
March 3: Hugh claims leeks are good for your back.
March 11: Staying at a ryokan-style hotel; they wear robes but initially refuse.
March 22: Joan tells about a horse named Satan that bit her breast.
March 24: Overhears a man on a bus who sounds like a spy; the man turns out to be unremarkable.
April 4: Researching “man walks into a bar” jokes online.
April 7: A fan gives him a defaced $50 bill and talks about astral projection.
April 24: Reflection on media coverage of Virginia Tech shooting.
May 22: A neighbor confides in him about her husband.
June 7: A man in a library asks if “Lightnin’ Hopkins” is a person or thing.
June 17: Olivier’s father dies; Sedaris advises Hugh on how to comfort him.
June 23: Overcrowded train; a woman carries a rat under her hat.
July 18: Sees slave figurines as lamps in a Paris shop.
July 29: Pool closed due to feces; he is the last swimmer to leave.
August 1: Teenage bully at the pool; police called.
August 10: Cuts off tip of thumb; cashier recommends sucking it like a baby.
August 27: Studying for the Life in the UK test.
September 14: Encounter with a talkative woman on the bus.
September 15: Passes the citizenship test.
October 15: Flight attendant explains “crop dusting” (farting while walking the aisle).
October 25: Late-night McDonald’s with Ken Shorr; a woman asks advice about CPS.
October 30: Security screener named Misty Roebuck.
November 11: Lisa gets caught swearing in front of a student.
November 15: Harrods washroom attendant forces a flusher to reflush.
December 18: Long post office line; frustrated by elderly line-cutters; decides to move to England.
December 31: Frees a mouse from a trap.

Character Development

David Sedaris: Grows more self-aware of his pettiness (line-cutting, grudges). Quitting smoking marks a meaningful personal change. His curiosity about human behavior remains sharp, and his patience is tested by rude strangers, yet he shows compassion (listening to neighbor, freeing the mouse).
Hugh: Emerges as a loving but quirky partner. His credulity (crabs in humans, leeks for back pain) provides comic contrast to Sedaris’s skepticism.
Joan: A friend whose offbeat stories (horse bite, mice) add warmth.
Minor recurring figures: Ken Shorr (fellow writer), Lisa (sister/teacher), and Anne Crosby (phone manner) deepen the network of relationships.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Quitting Smoking as Renewal: Sedaris frames his last cigarette as a farewell to an old habit, symbolizing a desire for control and health.
Cultural Disorientation: From the parasite museum to the robe-wearing hotel, Sedaris documents the strangeness of being a foreigner and the comedy of miscommunication.
Aging and Frustration: Line-cutting seniors, the slow post office, and the citizenship test highlight tensions between generations and bureaucracies.
Human Oddity: Sedaris collects weird encounters—the spy on the bus, the astral-projection fan, the woman with the rat—as evidence that ordinary life is full of the absurd.
Empathy vs. Judgment: He wavers between being annoyed and showing kindness, especially toward the neighbor in distress and the trapped mouse.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 6 covers a pivotal transitional year: Sedaris quits smoking, decides to move to England, and formalizes his relationship with the UK through the citizenship test. The entries show him maturing—less willing to endure public rudeness yet still capable of tenderness. The sharp observations of Tokyo and London reinforce his signature blend of travelogue and self-deprecation. The chapter also deepens the portrait of his community (Hugh, Joan, Lisa, Ken) and sets up the next phase of his life abroad.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Sedaris’s decision to quit smoking reflect a broader theme of self-change in this chapter? He treats the last cigarette as a deliberate ritual, using a patch and lozenges but soon discarding them. This mirrors his overall readiness to shed old habits, including his tolerance for poor service and his passive approach to strangers asking for cigarettes.

2. What does the argument over whether a crab can live in a human body reveal about Sedaris and Hugh’s relationship? It shows their playful dynamic: Sedaris relies on factual authority (his time at the morgue), while Hugh trusts visual evidence from the museum. The disagreement is affectionate but exposes their different ways of seeing the world.

3. Why does Sedaris include the story of freeing the trapped mouse at the end of the year? The mouse symbolizes vulnerability and the possibility of mercy. Despite earlier gruffness, Sedaris risks injury to release it, suggesting that beneath his curmudgeonly surface he values life—human and animal.