I'm in here

N.B. All these years I've wondered, "Who/What the hell is Cosgrove Watt and why the hell does Colin use this cyber-pseudonym anyway? Finally, this mystery is (kind of, not really) solved (to an extent) and I can move on with my life. Will Mr. Watt (who is evidently dead) make another appearance in Jest? A quick internet search brought me to this page where spoilers may or may not lie, but because this is my first time reading Jest I can't tell if I've been spoiled or not. But clearly, this webpage is connected to the book in some way. It may, in fact, be directly lifted from the book or it could be total bullshit, but hell if I know. Proceed at your own peril.

Hal's Communication Problem

Clearly, Hal has difficulty communicating, or rather he communicates in a manner which isn't familiar to most people who regularly speak or navigate through 3D space. We know from his childhood flashback that he could speak English at one point in life (or could he?) and for reasons unknown at this time he's lost that ability. Does he communicate this way by choice? Or is it conditioning? He obviously can write English but he doesn't speak it. Are those "subanimalistic" noises random sounds or a language that perhaps only Hal can speak and understand?

Hal also appears to have difficulty controlling his body as well. During his interview, he expends what seems to be an enormous amount of energy in order to appear passive and at ease. A brief crack in his composure occurs when one of the deans asks, "Is Hal all right, Chuck?...Hal just seemed to...well, grimace. Is he in pain? Are you in pain, son?" There are hints that he's aware of these physical shortcomings, such as when he thinks, "I am debating whether to risk scratching the right the right side of my jaw..." Normally we would just attribute this to interview jitters, but now we know that any attempt to scratch his jaw would have resulted in a disastrous, violent flailing of limbs which is exactly what happens later. Ironic because he's a young adult championship tennis star, which obviously requires a fair deal of physical prowess.** Hal's tennis is not in dispute-- he is admired, awed, and is described as balletic (although at this point we don't know if this is even Hal's intention-- we haven't yet been inside Hal's head during a match and for all we know he's a complete headcase.). His uncle appears to be with the program and tries to protect Hal from the inevitable backlash that results whenever Hal opens his mouth or gestures.

Basically, Hal communicates in a completely different way compared to the rest of the world, verbally and physically. No doubt various forms of communication will be dissected throughout the book.

P.S. Why does Hal refer to his mother as The Moms? Does she have a split personality?

** You probably already know this, but DFW was also a promising young adult championship tennis player with professional aspirations until a knee injury ended his career. He's written several essays on tennis and his piece "How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart" is hilarious and well worth the read.