Journey of Self-Discovery in Thomas Pynchons' The Crying of Lot 49
Thomas Pynchons' The Crying of Lot 49 challenges the readers' perception of the world by enfolding his readers, through a variety of means, within the intricate workings of his narrative. It centers around would be heroine Oedipa Maas whose life is turned upside down when she discovers that she has been made executor of the estate of old flame and entrepreneur Pierce Inverarity. When she is imposed upon to travel to the fictional city of San Narcisco, where Inverarity is said to have numerous real estate holdings, in order to carry out her task, Oedipa stumbles upon a muted post horn; the first of many clues leading her deep into the impenetrable conspiracy surrounding Trystero, an underground postal system shrouded in mystery and intrigue; opening her eyes to an alternative way of life. This post modern work of literature infuses dark humor and irony instigating a metamorphosis of intellectually challenging material; subsequently luring us, his readers who have unknowingly become a part of the conspiracy, into the methodical chaos of The Crying of Lot 49.
Well known for incorporating the basic ideas of philosophy and physics into all of his writings, Pynchon states that the "measure of the world is its entropy" (The Grim Phoenix, pg.2); an assertion that extends into the worlds he has created within the covers of his books. The structure of observation that Pynchon has constructed for the viewing of his creation has two distinct levels focused on those of his characters, particularly Oedipa Maas, who's world is restricted to the confines of the composition and also that of the reader who stands on the outside looking in; but who is also affected by (h...
... middle of paper ...
... our inability to interact personally with the characters in the book, are bound to a bewildered cicerone who cannot see well enough to point us in the right direction.
Although Oedipa never uncovers' the hidden truth as to whether or not there really exist a statewide conspiracy involving Trystero, in the end she gives herself over to the paranoia innate to never knowing for sure. Like the reader she has come to the conclusion that it would be a better practice to know that she's paranoid and accept it as a part of life in that society, then to deny its existence and live in doubt for the rest of her life. Choosing to embrace the new self she has unearthed in her journey, like the reader Oedipa is reintroduced to the world at large and with eyes wide open.
Works Cited:
Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1965.
...onally transposing indirect to direct quotation, putting words into people mouths and blending two separate eye witness's accounts. How can one read a novel for knowledge gaining purposes when the structure appears so flawed? The use of modern and old English are combined in the sentence structure. The highly academic vocabulary not only is confusing, but breaks the flow of the book when that is the evident purpose for the format of the book. The confusing order in which Starkey retells events and the ineffective and useless information that is put in for building character personalities.
In the skillful novel, "How To Read Literature Like A Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, there is neither a protagonist nor antagonist. As a whole, the novel gives insights on how to pick up signs of symbolism, irony, and many other hidden details that are buried within the words of literature. Foster refers to many classis novels by classic authors to demonstrate the use of logic in writing. The novel is extremely educational, leaving many insightful questions and interpretations to the reader's opinion.
contact the reader has with people in the book is in the passage in which the
One day she takes a letter that mentioned about her ex-boyfriend Pierce died and he devoted Oedipe as a guardian. And then, Oedipe decided to fulfill his will, take the road to San Narciso and then finds himself in a mysterious world. She was believing to solve a big mystery that increasingly abstracted from the world and will be buried loneliness. Oedipa’s world become a place that based on dreams, drugs and conspiracy theories. The Crying a Lot 49, describes the cultural chaos and communication problems through the eyes of a young woman who found yourself in the hallucinogenic world.
"Decarolis, Lisa M."A Biography Of Alexander Hamilton. 3 Jun. 2003. Department of Humanities. 12 May. 2005. http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/hamilton/hamilzz.htm.
The Crying of Lot 49 offers two journeys into the text: that of it's protagonist Oedipa, and that which the reader is forced to take with her. His brilliant use of detail and word plays blur the lines between the two. The main factor in this journey is chaos, here referred to by its’ more scientific name entropy. Oedipa and the reader get lost in a system of chaos and the task of deciphering the clues within the intricate system. The reader has no choice but to become part of this system through cleverly employed tactics Pychon uses to draw one in.
Pynchon designed The Crying of Lot 49 so that there would be two levels of observation: that of the characters such as our own Oedipa Maas, whose world is limited to the text, and that of the reader, who looks at the world from outside it but who is also affected by his relationship to that world.3 Both the reader and the characters have the same problems observing the chaos around them. The protagonist in The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Mass, like Pynchon's audience, is forced to either involve herself in the deciphering of clues or not participate at all.4
The first-born son being Phillip Hamilton. Phillip was born on January 22, 1782. Phillip did not live a very long life when he passed away in 1801 only making him 19 years old. He was killed a very similar death of his father’s when he was killed in a duel. The second child, and oldest daughter, was Angelica Hamilton. Angelica was born on September 25, 1784. Next was Alexander Jr. who was named after his father. He was born on May 16, 1786 and later in life became a lawyer who served as Aaron Burr’s wife’s attorney when filing for a divorce. On April 14, 1788, their third son, James Alexander was born. He followed his father’s footsteps and resembled him tremendously. After James, another son came and was named, John Church. John church was born on August 22, 1782 and served in the War of 1812. Just like James, he resembled his father. The sixth child was William Stephen. William was born on August 4, 1797 but died at the age of 53 due to cholera. Finally, another girl came and was named Elizabeth Holly, after her mother. She was born on November 20; however, she was the last girl. Another son came in June of 1802 and was also named Phillip Hamilton. He, just like his other brothers resembled his father and lived in the spotlight of him. While the sons were in spotlight, this was not the case for their daughters. The girls of the family were very shadowed in order to protect
...ger in their beliefs and attract more people to their activity. It is a lesson, which teaches everyone to remember that the God praised every human being with equal opportunities, which a man has no right to limit.
Alexander Hamilton was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in the West Indies on the 11th of January 1755. His father, James Hamilton -- Scottish merchant of St. Christopher – was the younger son of a minor Scottish noble. His mother, Rachel Fawcett Levine was married a Danish proprietor of St. Croix named John Michael Levine. Ms. Levine left her husband John and was later divorced from him on June 25, 1759, two years after Alexander was born. His parents soon separated. However, Alexander grew up with his mother and his brother James, living on the ragged edge of poverty. He had no further contact with his father, and when his mother died in 1768, he became an orphan at the age of 11 (Hamilton).
First of all, Oedipus is determined to discover who he is, just like any person who is having problems. One explores the reason behind the problem to set their mind free and feel relief. They try to explore what is causing the problem and when it is discovered it is better left unknown. Oedipus can not accept things as they are and by investigating his past, he is his own worst enemy by destroying his relationships and himself. When he was a young man he heard that his parents were not his real paternal parents, from the oracle. He believed that his adopted parents were his real parents so he moved to Thebes so he would not fulfill what the oracle had predicted as his fate. Oedipus was a character that had a certain way of feeling sure about himself. Many people act this way, but this are the same kind of people that spend their time searching for the truth about themselves. I believe that his pride was his biggest character flaw and because of this, the conclusion of the play was tragic. He feels that he has to take responsibility for his actions even though he had no control over them and fate was to blame. Yet many aspects could have been avoiding with extensive research about his background from his adoptive parents, but because he avoided this, his circumstance determined his fate.
In this book review I represent and analyze the three themes I found the most significant in the novel.
Whether a person’s life is something experienced authentically, or factually written down as literature, there are more complexities faced then there are simplicities on a daily basis. This multifariousness causes constant bewilderment and hesitation before any sort of important decision a person must make in his or her life. When it comes to characters of the written words, as soon sensations of ambiguity, uncertainty, and paranoia form, the outlook and actions of these characters are what usually result in regrettable decisions and added anxiety for both that character as well as the reader. Examples of these themes affecting characters in the world of fiction are found in the novel The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, and the play Glengarry Glen Ross written by David Mamet. Throughout both of these texts, characters such as Oedipa Maas who allows these emotions to guide her in her journey of self discovery, and Shelly Levene who is so overcome with these emotions that they become his downfall. For both of these characters, these constant emotional themes are what guide their most impulsive actions, which can generally also become regrettable decisions. Even though it is a distinguishing factor of human beings, when these characters are portrayed in print, it somehow seems to affect the reader more, because they are able to see the fictional repercussions, and also know how they could have been avoided.
The play "Oedipus Rex" is a very full and lively one to say the least. Everything a reader could ask for is included in this play. There is excitement, suspense, happiness, sorrow, and much more. Truth is the main theme of the play. Oedipus cannot accept the truth as it comes to him or even where it comes from. He is blinded in his own life, trying to ignore the truth of his life. Oedipus will find out that truth is rock solid. The story is mainly about a young man named Oedipus who is trying to find out more knowledge than he can handle. The story starts off by telling us that Oedipus has seen his moira, his fate, and finds out that in the future he will end up killing his father and marrying his mother. Thinking that his mother and father were Polybos and Merope, the only parents he knew, he ran away from home and went far away so he could change his fate and not end up harming his family. Oedipus will later find out that he cannot change fate because he has no control over it, only the God's can control what happens. Oedipus is a very healthy person with a strong willed mind who will never give up until he gets what he wants. Unfortunately, in this story these will not be good trait to have.
Internet using has increased rapidly since (Fox, Anderson, and Rainie, 2005; Morales, 2009). According to current population survey data, 37% of U.S. households had at least one computer in 1997; by 2003, this number was 62%. Over the same time period, households with Internet access increased from 18% to 55% (Day, Janus, and Davis, 2005). Technology provides people a stage to meet with each other. There are lots of social networks, for example, Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. In addition, there are lots of certified websites for people to find the suitable daters. People can scan other’s information directly online and that is easier for them to make choice. Once people join a dating website, you can create your own profile before you start contacting with potential matches, and that is convenient because you don’t need to introduce your basic information when you chat with each daters. Most websites allow people to set up with individual information where he or she can find your personal interest, personality, body type, work, and physical attributes. In addition, the dating website provide a chance to include your personal photo in your profile. Before a few decades, people didn’t have lots of advanced technology. Therefore, it’s hard for them to have huge variety of potential matches. People should have face-to-face dating with each dater, and that would make them feel stress and pressure. Lots of women feel