Thank You for Smoking

Taglines are a motif that develop the author’s editorial commentary. Perhaps the clearest example of this is the Captain’s often-spoken affirmation, “Tobacco takes care of its own” (240). When the Captain expresses this to Nick initially, it sounds—as the Captain meant it—like a fraternal promise of care: Since Nick faithfully does the bidding of the tobacco industry, the industry will care for him. By the end of the narrative, however, when industry leaders try to kill him and the Captain encourages him to plead guilty to false charges, the saying acquires a different, ironic meaning.

Another frequently used term is “Neo-Puritan.” Nick and others in the tobacco industry use this tagline to describe those who wish to stop the use of tobacco, saying that what the Neo-Puritans really want is to set social standards for others, robbing people of their right to choose to smoke. Buckley provides fodder for this idea when Nick points out the dangers of cholesterol, yet Nick’s remarks are obviously self-serving. Buckley’s underlying point seems to involve the way in which politicians and lobbyists alike coopt causes and leverage moralizing language for their own personal gain.

When asked why he willingly represents tobacco so fervently, Nick always gives some variety of a similar tagline: “It pays the mortgage” (12). At one point, he comments that the vast majority of American citizens, when asked why they do what they do, will honestly respond that they are simply paying their mortgage. Buckley implies through this tagline that Nick does not have a deeper answer. If Nick were to solemnly reflect on the question, the author implies, he might no longer be able to work for the Academy. The implication is that this is his way of avoiding a Personal Reckoning With Unethical Behavior. Nick enjoys being the brilliant underdog who faces off against the majority and the truth. In his final statement, he says he has seen the error of his ways and now represents the other side. However, he has a new mortgage and another child, implying that he may simply be working to support his new life.