Brock Vond

[RICHARD ROMEO]

Am 3/4 through with Vineland and the more I read about Mr. Vond, the more 
I think of one of the characters in Dr. Strangelove-the general who wants 
to start WW3, he who complains and is horrified by the sexual act in that 
it is in his words "a loss of his essence".  As much as Brock realizes 
the frailties of the hippie generation, it strikes me as funny that Brock 
does not notice the same frailties in himself in reverse.  i.e. deep down 
he wants to "cut loose" whereas his hippie prisoners really want to be 
behind fences and told right and wrong.  Is this a paradox or just one 
more insight into human weakness?   Maybe it's just the male-macho ego in 
fear of its feminine self (that woman in the attic) for Brock.  As for 
the hippies...