Bad Monkey

Bad Monkey defies genre conventions, blending crime fiction with satire, humor, social commentary, and suspense. Although it contains many elements typical of crime fiction, including a subplot focusing on romance, the novel places a unique emphasis on romantic relationships, using them to thematically explore The Absurdity of Human Behavior. One of the most striking ways that the novel satirizes human nature and human behavior is through the theme of sexual relationships. In Bad Monkey, sex is a tool that highlights the irrational and often grotesque lengths to which people go in pursuing their desires. Yancy’s affair with Bonnie Witt, also known as Plover Chase, exemplifies this. His violent assault on Bonnie’s husband, Clifford, using a handheld vacuum cleaner is both shocking and absurd. This backstory reveals critical aspects of Yancy’s character: his inability to control his temper, his inclination toward violence, and his impulsiveness. These traits hinder Yancy throughout the novel and make him an unpredictable and sometimes comedic figure. The absurdity of Yancy’s behavior underscores the irrational impulses that drive people’s actions, particularly in the realm of sexual jealousy and revenge.

Bonnie/Plover’s narrative continues this exploration of absurdity. After being indicted for extorting sex from a 15-year-old student, Cody, she flees to Florida, where she marries Clifford Witt. However, her impulsive nature resurfaces when she reconnects with Cody, now an adult, via Facebook. In bizarre events, Bonnie and Cody run away together, returning to the Keys to ask Yancy for shelter. Clifford’s response (reporting Bonnie to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) adds another layer of absurdity to the situation. These events illustrate how irrational desires can lead to increasingly outlandish and self-destructive actions. Bonnie’s pursuit of extramarital companionship represents a yearning for a past sense of desirability, reflecting a deeper insecurity about aging and loss of control.

The novel further critiques human nature, particularly about sex and marriage, through Clifford’s and Bonnie’s relationship. The couple’s 20-year age gap and Clifford’s exploration of autoerotic asphyxiation emphasize the absurd extremes to which people will go to regain a sense of vitality or excitement. Bonnie, horrified by Clifford’s risky behavior, describes finding him passed out and even being shown how to use a defibrillator in case of emergency. Despite the ridiculousness of Clifford’s actions, the novel reveals their underlying motivations—Clifford’s desire to feel young again and escape the mundane reality of his retirement. Similarly, Bonnie’s pursuit of younger men and extramarital affairs has roots in her fear of aging and her desire to be desired. The portrayal of these characters exposes their actions’ irrationality while offering insight into the deeper, relatable desires that drive them.

Neville’s interactions with the Dragon Queen offer a satirical commentary on the irrationality and recklessness that often accompany sexual dynamics. This subplot underscores how sex can be a transactional tool, a means of manipulation, driving characters to absurd lengths to avoid or pursue their desires. The Dragon Queen, notorious on Andros Island for the mysterious disappearances of her boyfriends, exemplifies how sexual power can become entangled with danger and superstition. Her offer to help Neville rid the island of Christopher Grunion in exchange for sex underscores her use of sexual leverage as a form of control.

Neville’s reaction to the Dragon Queen’s proposition highlights the absurdity. His desperation to avoid her advances (even claiming that he has a venereal disease) reflects how sex, in the novel’s world, often leads to irrational behavior, whether in the form of aggressive pursuit or frantic avoidance. Neville’s refusal not only emphasizes the comedic absurdity in the novel’s depiction of sexual relations but also points to the power imbalances inherent in the Dragon Queen’s offer. In exchange for sex, she promises to use a voodoo spell to help Neville, blending the supernatural with the sexual, which adds even more absurdity and satire to their interactions.

The Dragon Queen’s response (taking Neville’s monkey, Driggs, as payment) reinforces the absurdity and unpredictability of this exchange, which critiques the transactional nature of relationships and the often irrational bargains people make in pursuing their goals, whether for sexual gratification, power, or control. Neville and the Dragon Queen’s bizarre encounter explores how sex, power, and manipulation often intersect, leading to outcomes that are as absurd as they are potentially dangerous.

Yancy’s relationship with Rosa introduces another layer to the complex and often absurd treatment of sexuality in Bad Monkey. As their professional collaboration on the Stripling case turns romantic, the novel weaves humor, satire, and deeper commentary into their evolving dynamic. A particularly striking moment in their relationship occurs when they have sex on an autopsy table. The morgue setting is bizarre and unsettling, showcasing Hiaasen’s penchant for placing characters in grotesque, almost surreal situations that reflect the absurdity of human behavior.

Yancy’s disengagement during the act adds to the complexity. His “incurably busy brain” (128) prevents him from thoroughly enjoying the moment, suggesting that his motivations for being with Rosa are less about passion and more about proximity and companionship. This detachment highlights Yancy’s internal struggle: He’s drawn to Rosa, but his emotional investment seems shallow, rooted more in the need to connect with someone than in genuine sexual desire. Rosa’s own reaction (recognizing the situation’s oddity by joking that she might need counseling) echoes Yancy’s detachment. Her casual acknowledgment of how warped the encounter is reveals how the novel uses sex not only as a source of humor but to expose the underlying dysfunction in his characters’ relationships.

The mention of video cameras adds another layer of absurdity. Rosa reassures Yancy that she turned them off, stating she’s “not that twisted” (130). This moment humorously explores the boundaries of what the characters perceive as acceptable or unacceptable. Rosa’s distinction between having sex in a morgue and videotaping the act points to the arbitrary moral lines people draw regarding sex. What’s considered “too far” in this scenario is not the unconventional location but the idea of being recorded, reflecting how characters rationalize their behavior within their often skewed ethical frameworks. Thus, the novel critiques inconsistencies in human attitudes toward sex and intimacy, using humor and absurdity to expose the contradictions in the characters’ moral compasses.

Additionally, these scenes highlight the novel’s thematic emphasis on Satire as a Tool for Social and Environmental Critique to explore the irrationalities of human behavior, particularly in the realm of sexual relationships. Through bizarre and often grotesque scenarios, the novel critiques the extremes to which people go in their pursuit of desire, power, or companionship. While the novel humorously exaggerates the characters’ actions, they reflect insecurities and emotional conflicts, from Yancy’s detachment to Bonnie/Plover’s pursuit of youthful validation. By blending humor, satire, and crime fiction, the novel offers a sharp, often absurdist glimpses of human nature.