Bad Monkey

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-8

Chapters 9-15

Chapters 16-23

Chapters 24-31

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Driggs

More than just the titular character in Bad Monkey, Driggs is a multifaceted symbol that illustrates the novel’s critique of human interference in nature, thematically highlighting The Impact of Greed and Corruption on the Community and the Environment. Driggs is a white-faced capuchin monkey born into a lineage of performing animals, and his background and behavior demonstrate a perversion of natural instincts due to human exploitation. From his early days as an unremarkable, ill-tempered performer to his brief, unsuccessful role in Pirates of the Caribbean, Driggs’s failures in the human world expose the absurdity of imposing human expectations on wild animals, highlighting the consequences of disregarding natural roles and instincts.

When Driggs ends up in Neville’s hands after a chance domino game, Neville’s well-meaning but misguided care further compounds Driggs’ misfortune. Feeding him deep-fried foods and relegating him to diapers due to his defiance of housebreaking, Neville’s treatment of Driggs erodes the monkey’s physical health and dignity. Driggs’ infamous bad temper (which manifests in biting and throwing feces) earns him the title of “bad monkey,” a label that is meaningful only in the context of human expectations. Driggs’ temperament and cunning would likely be survival assets in the wild but in human environments are liabilities. This irony underscores the effects of human expectations and interference, as Driggs’ natural instincts are misinterpreted and suppressed, showing the destructive impact of greed-driven exploitation on natural creatures.

The approaching hurricane further emphasizes Driggs’ disconnect from his natural roots. In a wild troop, he would either detect the storm’s approach intuitively or receive signals from other members. However, deprived of such instincts and social structures, he cowers in fear and confusion, unprepared for survival outside his artificial, human-imposed conditions. This scene demonstrates how human interference has robbed Driggs of his autonomy and resilience, highlighting the broader theme of nature’s disruption by human greed. Here, Driggs’ plight mirrors the exploited environments in Bad Monkey, reflecting how greed-driven actions leave communities (human and animal) defenseless against larger forces, whether natural disasters or systemic corruption.

Driggs’ character is both comic and tragic, representing what is lost when humans prioritize profit and control over respect for natural boundaries. His presence is a reminder that exploitation harms animals, ecosystems, and even human communities. By placing Driggs within a narrative filled with human absurdity, greed, and environmental degradation, Hiaasen injects absurd humor and crafts a cautionary tale. Driggs illustrates the futility and damage of manipulating nature, urging reevaluation of humanity’s relationship with the environment. This “bad monkey” symbolizes how human greed and corruption invariably dismantle the delicate balance of natural and social systems, leaving humans and other species worse off.

Voodoo

In Bad Monkey, voodoo symbolizes both The Absurdity of Human Nature and The Impact of Greed and Corruption on the Community and the Environment. By invoking voodoo and witchcraft as humanity’s futile attempts to control uncontrollable forces, Hiaasen critiques a society in which desperation drives people to irrational actions, ultimately illustrating the price of a false sense of power. The Dragon Queen, an infamous voodoo practitioner, embodies this theme: Her eerie, crude persona and isolation from society highlight her role as a feared figure and a symbol of humanity’s tendency to turn to superstition when rational avenues fail.

Neville’s consultation with the Dragon Queen to place a curse on his enemies illustrates the depths of his disillusionment and powerlessness. Her demands (rum, Driggs the monkey, and sexual favors) reflect not only the personal sacrifices Neville is willing to make but also how the pursuit of control often requires compromising one’s values. This exchange satirizes the futility and desperation of trying to reclaim control through means that only exploit personal resources or integrity. Neville’s belief in the curse’s “success,” as his enemies ultimately face karmic retribution, reveals the seductive appeal of such solutions, no matter how irrational, when greed overtakes ethical and environmental responsibility.

Through voodoo, the novel critiques how communities and individuals respond when they feel powerless amid larger forces of corruption and environmental exploitation. Voodoo becomes a satirical lens through which the novel examines human absurdity, revealing people’s irrational responses in their frustration. Framing voodoo as both a coping mechanism and a reflection of societal dysfunction highlights the sense of entrapment that often drives people toward methods that ultimately reinforce their disempowerment.

The Watch

Nick Stripling’s watch, a “limited-edition Wyler Genève Tourbillon, distinguishable by a unique clasped crown shield and also for its suggested retail price of $145,000” (34), thematically symbolizes The Impact of Greed and Corruption on the Community and the Environment. To Nick, the watch represents his success and status; it’s a prized possession that he views as a work of art, a testament to the wealth he has accumulated through fraudulent Medicare schemes. However, Yancy considers the watch garish, an unnecessary luxury that underscores Nick’s self-indulgence and disregard for others.

The watch ultimately becomes Nick’s downfall: His refusal to part with the valuable timepiece reveals his identity to Yancy. Nick’s attachment to the watch epitomizes the destructive nature of greed: how materialism leads individuals to reckless, selfish decisions. This same greed causes suffering in the broader community: Nick’s crimes siphon resources from Medicare, leaving elderly recipients without their rightful benefits. Additionally, Nick’s shady real estate development plans threaten local environments, particularly in the Bahamas, where he aims to exploit the land for profit.

Through the watch motif, Hiaasen emphasizes how greed corrupts individuals and has a ripple effect, harming innocent people and the environment. Nick’s attachment to his watch symbolizes the broader theme that materialism and selfishness ultimately lead to one’s downfall and the social and environmental damage that stems from unbridled avarice.

The Key Deer

Key deer are a powerful thematic symbol of The Impact of Greed and Corruption on the Community and the Environment (especially Florida’s unique and fragile ecosystems). Florida is home to numerous rare species, including the Key deer, which inhabit only a few of the Florida Keys. Hiaasen’s description of them emphasizes their vulnerability and physical fragility while subtly critiquing human recklessness as a threat to their survival:

They were fantastically small and delicate-looking; even a buck was no bigger than a golden retriever. Only a few hundred of the deer remained, roaming a handful of islands […] but the animals were hapless when it came to avoiding cars, especially at night. Every year the Citizen published a gloomy scorecard of roadkills as the species teetered toward extinction (33).

The Key deer’s dwindling numbers and roadkill fatalities mirror a more significant, pervasive problem: uncontrolled development and disregard for natural habitats. The novel uses the construction of speculative housing, often built for profit without regard for the local ecosystem, as an example of how Florida’s relentless real estate ventures threaten the Key deer’s already limited habitat. By drawing attention to these environmental disruptions, the novel criticizes a culture that values profit over preservation. The fact that the deer have become unafraid of humans symbolizes a loss of their natural instincts and a forced adaptation to human encroachment, further threatening the deer’s survival and highlighting the environmental degradation resulting from unchecked expansion. Through the Key deer, the novel amplifies its environmental message, exploring the broader impact of human actions on endangered species and fragile ecosystems.