Squeeze Me

Burmese pythons appear everywhere in Squeeze Me, and the book takes an ambivalent view toward the reptiles. As lovers of nature, both Angie and Skink are fond of the creatures. During her LSD trip, Angie sees them possessing a surreal beauty. While Skink gives his biggest python a dose of the drug before turning her loose, this isn’t an act of cruelty. He knows she is about to be killed and wants her to feel good to the end. Both characters view the snakes as any other wild creatures—neither good nor bad. They are simply trying to survive.

The pythons, however, also symbolize the consequences of humans meddling with nature. They are not indigenous to Florida, having been imported as exotic pets. When their human owners tire of them, the pythons are abandoned in the swamps to fend for themselves. Once on the loose, they wreak havoc with the ecosystem by preying on many endangered native species. Further, the only reason that the pythons are able to expand their feeding range is because of the global warming that the novel’s President chooses to ignore. Skink’s plan to introduce them in Palm Beach would never have succeeded if winter temperatures north of the Florida Keys had not grown warmer every year.