Deaths in GR

[Tim Ware]

JWH raises a very good point, as one could easily ask "name one thing that 
happens FOR SURE in GR."  Such a "binary" question seems rather out of 
place here.  It's all a dream. . .all a movie (a-and a progressive knotting 
into to boot!).  

I created my list of "deaths" within that fog of ambiguity.  We are 
informed that Pudding, Spectro, Bland and Sachsa die or are killed, so I 
guess it boils down to whom you believe.  I don't recall any mention of 
Gwenhidwy buying the farm, though.

I love the Oz scenario.

TW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ timware at crl.com
If you are dealt a lemon ... play lemonade - CD-ROM DOS


On Sun, 12 Mar 1995, James W. Horton wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Mar 1995, Alec W Mchoul wrote:
> 
> > I responded as follows:
> > 
> > Can I ask you about that phrase, "a lot of people die"?
> > Like whom?
> > Who dies?
> > Can you give me a list?
> > I can think of one - and one only, more-or-less for sure.
> > If you have more than one, you're doing better than most.
> > 
> > So here's a nice puzzle for Pynchon sleuths: who dies in GR, to be sure?
> > The great John Krafft knew straightaway when I called him.
> > Do you?
> > 
> > Alec McHoul
> 
> 
> How for sure is for sure?  We are told Brigadier Pudding dies of an e 
> coli infection, but from the "other side" arranges some sort of message 
> in the flames of the fireplace during Mexico's and Bodine's infamous 
> alliterative dinner menu.  So I would say the Brigadier is dead, even if
> not nonexistant.  I believe we are also told Gwenhidwy and Spectro die, 
> but I don't think there is ever any complete proof, no body.  Come to 
> think of it, I can't think of any conclusive "bodily" proof of anyone's 
> death in this novel.  This is very strange.  Maybe Pynchon was intending 
> to write numerous spinoffs and sequels and just couldn't let any of the 
> characters go--sort of like what happened in the comicbook world with 
> multiple universes and multiple batmans and supermen, etc.  Perhaps 
> volume two, SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW could begin with Tyrone waking up 
> in his bed in Kansas and finding Nalline, Broderick, Hogan and his old pal 
> Tantivy beside him (in the form of a fox terrier?) and crying "It was all 
> a dream!  Or maybe just too much of that darned sodium pentathol!"
> Everyone would be smiling and it would turn out that he hadn't been sold
> for medical experiments after all.  But what would you do for the next 
> eight hundred pages or so?  Imagine.  Then volume three would tell us 
> that it was actually volume two that was the dream, and after a while things
> would get so complicated that Pynchon would sell the rights to DC (of 
> comicbook fame) and have them blow up enough of it with antimatter or 
> something so he could start over fresh.  Is THAT what the V-2 is doing 
> hanging over us with Gottfried inside it at the end of GR? 
> 	But if the Brigadier is definitely dead (despite hovering around
> somewhere) what about Lyle Bland and his levitation into the next dimension?
> 
> 				Cheers, jwh
>