Experiments On The Children: Plot Summary

Words: 906
Pages: 4

The novel begins rather uneventfully as Aloysius "Al" and Lillian "Crystal Lil" Binewski are introduced as the once performers, now owner/ operators of the Fabulon. Disappointed with the direction of the family business, and to ensure that he no longer had to depend on outside performers who may leave, Al "decided to breed his own freak show"(Dunn 7). At this time the novel takes a sick twisted turn into manipulating their genetic offspring through heinous experiments on Crystal Lil using drugs and radioactive materials, causing severe deformities and weird oddities. These experiments were successful in the eyes of Lil and Al as they often referred to the children as "dreamlets"(Dunn 1). Lil and Al's passion for having a successful business and living the American dream drove them to making these unethical and shocking parental decisions without remorse. The Binewski family put on a show for others in the carnival, while also putting on a show behind the scenes trying to portray the perfect, happy family from the outside. The decisions to try to control genetics and potentially abandon a baby for its normal appearance set a bad example for the children, it taught them …show more content…
This control slips away over time as Arty, or Arturo the Aqua Boy, gains popularity. Arty is so driven to be the best show in the Fabulon that he undermines everyone without regard to the law or ethics. Arty is cold hearted, manipulative, and controlling even to his siblings. Al and Lil's coldness to a normal looking child of their own was an example that reassured Arty that, as long as he was making the carnival money, he could treat others however he wanted. Arty controlled his siblings to the point that it seemed he was the parent, creating jobs for them and demanding they cater to his every