And Then (Chapter 6 The Crying of Lot 49)

Pynchon developed his modernist novel through Oedipa’s eyes, taking into consideration may aspects of life such as honesty (lawyers and Oedipa’s affairs with Metzger), Love (IA), Communication (Mail system, Tristero and Maxwell’s Demon), Capitalism and Communism (Yoyodyne), etc. Pynchon developed these topics in great entertaining ways but left the novel “half” finished. At the end, Oedipa finally understands what Tristero, W.A.S.T.E and the muted horn meant; however it produced no apparent reaction that made the character change the way they see life. Oedipa just figured out one of her curiosities nothing more. It is weird how Pynchon made me believe that those stamps and Tristero would be something huge and enlightening, but it wasn’t it was just a vendetta made by a pissed off kid who didn’t receive his inheritance: “He styled himself [Tristero] El Desheredado, The Disinherited, and fashioned a livery of black for his followers, black to symbolize the only ting that truly belonged to them in their exile” (pg, 132). The strangest thing of all is that Oedipa’s Tistero system to end her encapsulation in the tower ended up falling apart as soon as she learned about Tristero.

“You think a man’s mind is a pool table?” (pg, 127). I had never thought of a man’s in the way of a pool table; however, it does apply in a sense. First of all, I have to start by demonstrating (in accordance to my sister) how she looked at a pool table in relation to a man’s mind… she saw the white ball as his will, and the other balls as his ideas. Then she spoke of these ideas being pushed down the holes of the table by the white ball; however, a man’s ideas were always fake and bad due to the fact that they ended up once again in the same place, restarting the cycle again. In my point of view, a pool table is similar to a man’s mind in the sense that it shows how we are. Again, the white ball is the one in charged of carrying out our ideas; however, I picture the white ball as the decisiveness that men have to pursue only one idea at a time regardless of how many colored balls (ideas) are on the table. Then, we try to look for the most simplest way of applying our ideas and meeting our goals, which in the pool table would be dumping a colored ball into a hole (one at a time). Finally, we men end up patiently carrying out everything we planned until new ideas come again; however, some men become lazy and arrogant and choose to let go of the stick that moves the white ball in every direction needed.

Finally, I found this book a good and inspiring challenge which entertained me. I do hope I could read it again sometime to fully grasp its puns and its usage of satire. In a way Pynchon reflects his personality in the novel. He as the author completely excludes himself from appearing in the novel, just like he has hidden himself from the world.