Analyzing David Sedaris 'Chipped Beef'

Chipped Beef

Throughout society, the contrast between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, the elites and the ordinary, have been a constant source of discussion and philosophy. In Chipped Beef, by comparing fantasies of wealth with truths of reality, David Sedaris argues that the intrinsic values of relationships vastly outweigh the extrinsic value of material things.

One of the primary ways in which Sedaris proves the value of intangible things is by comparing the perspectives of family between the fantasies of wealth, and reality. In his childhood fantasy of wealth, Sedaris approaches the ideas of his family with a very different tone than he does in his description of his actual life. When talking about the qualities of

his wealthier fantasy family, he objectifies his them, saying “they’re using my mother’s profile on the new monorail token, and as for my father and me, the people at NASA want to design a lunar module based on the shape of our skulls.” (1) The language Sedaris uses makes him sound detached, not emotionally related to his parents.

By comparing their familial attractiveness, Sedaris makes it clear that in this life, he values not the relationship that he has with family, but qualities that family has given him. He has inherited a lot more than skull shape from his father, but he specifically chooses those words to emphasize his shallow interpretation of the meaning of family. This idea is further developed by a similar statement, in which Sedaris’ braggadocio further exemplifies this parental relationship. He continues his description of his family’s talents, by boasting “because we are so smart, my parents and I are able to see through people as if they were made of hard, clear plastic.” (1) In addition to putting value in the things his parents have given him, rather than the relationship they have, Sedaris’ diction borders on patronizing. He specifically uses the word “we” in order to subliminally

tell the reader that in fact, he is an equal to his parents. They share the same skills, the same beautiful, and stand on the same level in society. By doing this, Sedaris essentially nullifies any possibility of a familial bond with both respect and love. Another example which exemplifies Sedaris’ blasé tone which he develops about family is the story he tells of his sisters’ kidnapping. He notes “my sisters are gone for the time being but, who knows, maybe they’ll return someday, perhaps when they’re older and have families of their own. In the meantime, I am left as the only child and the heir to my parents’ substantial fortune.” (3) Sedaris’ tone throughout all of this is indifferent; he uses words and phrases like “who knows,” “maybe,” “perhaps,” and “for the time being,” all of which are rather nonchalant considering his is discussing a kidnapping of his family members. He explains his reasoning for this attitude in the next sentence, saying that because of this ironic “misfortune,” he is left with the tragedy of being the only heir to his parent’s wealth. Apart from being very obviously shallow, it also gives the reader insight into Sedaris’ actual thoughts about his sisters at times. He thinks of them as distractions from the time and money and his effort that his parents provide. They draw attention away from him, which is important, because it is brought up at the same time that in real life, his mother is dealing with the news that she is pregnant again. Nevertheless, Sedaris’ fantasy view of his family as unimportant, both evidenced by the offhanded diction he uses and his comparison to what he really values, starts to delineate that the things which many consider to hold extrinsic value, like wealth, looks, and intelligence, are really less important than one might think. This argument is developed by the contrast of these ideas from the fantasy world with the ones Sedaris has of his reality. At first, when describing what his life really looks like, he continues on with this temporal view of family. But he then starts talking about his mother’s six pregnancy, and immediately, the tone in which he describes his mother changes from cold and removed to genuine, and almost apologetic. She acknowledges her tears by explaining “I’m sad because, shit, because I’m going to have a baby, but this is the last one, I swear. After this one, I’ll have the doctor tie my tubes and solder the know just to make sure it’ll never happen again.” (4) Saying that “I swear,” and “It’ll never happen again” are ways of saying “I’m sorry.” This sudden apologetic tone makes the reader and Sedaris aware that the wants of every child are heard by a mother. Sedaris’ character is afraid of siblings taking away from his attention and the things he wants, and his mother realizes that. She herself finds herself struggling to grasp the enormity of the situation, saying “shit” to emphasize what is almost disappointment. She faces further ridicule, possibly distance from her other five children, and more work in the house. Her son finally realizes this, who agrees with her, and wants to help. He recalls, “Watching her slender hands positioned like a curtain over her face, I understood she needed more than a volunteer maid. And oh, I would be that person. A listener, a financial advisor, even a friend.” (5) The metaphor of his mother’s hands being a curtain over her face, hiding something she wanted to be hidden, and his change in tone to empathetic, using words like “listener,” “understood,” and “friend” all show that he has found intrinsic value in family. The relationship that he has created with his mother contrasts sharply with the picture he painted in his fantasy world. He now finds value not in the things his family gives him, whether it be money, attention, or genetics. He values the power they have together, and the true meaning of family. This juxtaposition of attitudes proves Sedaris’ main point, that there is more intrinsic value in family and relationships than there is extrinsic value in things extolled by society.
The other key way in which Sedaris argues that intangible things have more value than physical wants is by humorously comparing the attitudes of those who have or want material things to their reality.

As the piece opens, a young Sedaris in a fantasy world contemplates his dirty money, saying “I’m thinking of asking the servants to wax my change… It’s important to have clean money — not new, but well maintained.” (1) Although the situation is obviously exaggerated for comic purposes, the exaggeration helps to reveal the idea of a dissatisfaction. Although in his alternate reality, Sedaris has all the money in the world, he is not happy with it. He has to clean it, wax it, make it better. This discontent with the purest example of something with extrinsic value, of which this version of Sedaris has a lot of, goes to prove that material and monetarily valued things are not keys to intrinsic happiness. Sedaris even acknowledges this, when he talks about the charitable contributions his pretend family makes, stating “The Inner City Picnic Fund, our Annual Headache Drive, the Polo Injury Wing at the local Memorial Hospital: we give unspeakable amounts to charity, but you’ll never hear us talk about it.” (2) There is an immense amount of irony in this declaration; all of these things associated with which the well off have to deal with, getting hurt while playing polo, and the occasional headache, are used in direct correlation with the ideas of generosity and giving. This helps

the reader to understand that giving back is a way for the wealthy to find intrinsic value in something; possession of money doesn’t equal happiness, but there is still a need to find ones own interpretation of worth and significance. And this is ultimately proved when these ideas of worth based on fame and money are grounded in reality. In Sedaris’ actual childhood, as he laments about this misfortune of being born into the wrong family, he gripes, “I wanted a home with a moat rather than a fence. In order to get a decent night’s sleep, I needed an airport named in our honor.” (4) The hyperbole of the things that give him meaning and importance in context with the situation of his family are the most powerful way in which Sedaris proves his point. Here is a boy with a loving family, with many siblings, and a mother facing a difficult life struggle, and all he can think of is how bad he has it because of how poor he is. There is greater intrinsic value in those relationships which he partakes in than anything money can buy.
By contrasting the perspectives and values of a young Sedaris’ fantasy and reality, ultimately, the idea of putting value in immaterial things becomes apparent. Although the promises of fame, wealth, and power seem appealing, Sedaris argues that the most important things, above all, are our relationships.