Symbolic Deconstruction in The Crying of Lot 49
The paths leading toward knowledge (of self, of others, of the world around us) are circuitous. Thomas Pynchon, in his novel The Crying of Lot 49, seems to attempt to lead the reader down several of these paths simultaneously in order to illustrate this point. Our reliance on symbols as efficient translators of complex notions is called into question. Beginning with the choice of symbolic or pseudo-symbolic name, Oedipa Maas, for the central character of his novel, Pynchon expands his own investigation of symbol as Oedipa also attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the muted horn of the Tristero.
In choosing names that conjure up other images/ideas which may or may not reflect directly upon the character to whom the name belongs, does Pynchon attempt to underscore or undermine the entire notion of symbol as an authentic source of insight? The answer may well be both, I am aware, but let us continue down this path awhile longer. Consider one name, Oedipa Maas, for a moment. Classical allusions to t...
Ultima’s owl was an imperative symbol in Antonio’s younger years, and its symbolism helped established a deeper understanding for the reader of the many positive themes that the author portrays through Ultima. “My heart was pounding and my lungs heart, but a calmness had come
Symbolism shows the reader that there is a deeper message within the diction. “The Lottery” addresses the theme more successfully than “The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas” with the greater use of religious and traditional symbolism. The symbolisms in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” are various, but “The Lottery” uses symbolism for personal appeal and also makes a deeper connection between the symbols and the theme, making the short story more successful.
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, there is a deception where readers think one thing, but are presented with a different point of view. They are profoundly similar for various reasons regarding structure and theme. They are complementary in establishing the primary conflict of drama during the storyline; however, Oedipus Rex encompasses foreshadowing that divulges drama from past experiences. Additionally, the authors incorporate violence as a key component in the conflict presented. However, the drama differs in plot, as well as symbolism, in which the reader understands it before or amid the story through gradual discovery. The themes and presentation of these dramatic plots are initially compelling, distinctive,
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.
The Gothic as an Outlet for the Repression of the Society The gothic is shown as an outlet for the repression of the society in many ways. In Jane Eyre, immorality, women, madness and sexual desires/passions are being suppressed to ensure that they do not occur on the surface. However, the Gothic uses archetypal symbols, unexpressed passions, the double, madness, death, darkness and supernatural as an outlet for repression. Irrational and aberrant desires are shunned upon in any conservative society that functions on reason and logic. Therefore institutions like religion and moral codes are established, hitherto to modern days, to maintain a status quo and repress such behavior.
Dinaw Mengestu’s novel The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is a story about an immigrant from Ethiopia named Sepha Stephanos that discovers the freedoms he travels to the United States for are not easily accessible and that sometimes you can lose yourself trying to figure out who you are. The passage that most clearly represents this notion comes as Stephanos is reflecting at the end of the novel, he says: “What was it my father used to say? A bird stuck between two branches gets bitten on both wings. I would like to add my own saying to the list now, Father: a man stuck between two worlds lives and dies alone. I have dangled and been suspended long enough” (Mengestu, 228). This paper will examine the metaphor of the two worlds Stephanos
Symbolism is strongly represented through Kaplan’s short story. The symbols represented are the ocean, the killing of the doe and the woods. Visiting the ocean for the first time at the Jersey Shore was new for Andy. Since then she had been awfully frightened of the ocean. She believes the ocean to be a huge, vast that constantly moved, keeps shifting
The discovery in which Oedipa is being led is…that of living, as a person, a human being, in a culture which is already paranoid beyond belief (the very act of speaking, casually, to someone is fraught with danger; with the act of writing, even letters, one assumes far greater risks). Pynchon’s focus falls as often, and with as much interest, on the culture which he observes. Pynchon is creating an America…in a spirit not unlike that of Fitzgerald forty years before when he created The Great Gatsby. (Wa...
Richard Lattimore in “Oedipus Tyrannus” makes the revelation concerning the most apparent motif in the tragedy:
Mullahay, Patrick. Oedipus Myth and Complex. A Review of Psychoanalytic Theory. New York: Hermitage Press, 1951.
Jacques Derrida was a french philosopher, best known for his semiotic theory of "Deconstruction." The term surfaced in he world of design journalism in the mid-1980's, questioning the place of modern design in the theory of deconstruction.
Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.
In this paper, symbolism is referring to objects or situations that can represent an idea. Such as the light of morning is a metaphor for the hope found in the life of a new day, and how that is in contrast with the blackness of night that brings forth fears of the unknown that is typically associated with death. Morality is defining the standard of what is deemed right and wrong. As life is commonly seen in a celebratory way, the light of morning represents the aspect that is morally good. Typically, society avoids and fears death in order to emphasize the striving for life and therefore the night that puts people to sleep can be seen as immoral. Additionally, Tolkien uses the symbolism of ni...
While reading Pynchon’s, The Crying of Lot 49, I found myself fascinated with the names of the characters. I tried to analyze them and make them mean something, but it seems that Pynchon did not mean for the names to have a specific meaning. This deduction made me think about the satirical nature of the naming of the characters. Which led me to muse on the chaotic nature of the naming. The apparent disdain for the characters by their naming seems to imply that the author is poking fun at the reader and society through the characters.
As discussed in earlier papers, poets use devices to help enhance their images to the reader. One device not yet discussed is a symbol. John Drury, a poet, explains a symbol as, "an image that radiates meanings" (Gioia 276). Whatever the image is that each poet chooses to use creates a different and separate from another poet's use of that same image. Also, it is possible for a reader to see a symbol in a word or object that the author had never intended. In G.K. Chesterton's, "The Donkey," the donkey is a symbol for the some of today's society view people of mixed races and how people with multiple backgrounds will have their finest "hour" (Line 13).