A Few Things on [4]

[Tom Stanton]

>  2) `blast of noiselight' 43.12 the dog has been hit in a rocket
>     strike hence his desirability to Pointsman who later urges Roger
>     to minimise any fuss keeping the dog as near to `normative'
>     (44.10) as possible.

Do we know Pointsman knows the dog was nearly hit? Not sure about this,
but I'm fascinated.
 
>  6) `short long short' (44.12) Morse code? . - . Which letter?

The letter "R" (for Rocket?). Also called Romeo in the military's
pnemonic alphabet. Interestingly `short long short' is followed in
the text by "Jessica." Doomed lovers forshadowed?

>  7) `Mrs Nussbaum' and `Lessie' (44.17) How did we get into fantasy
>     land here? Is it teh ether?

I read the ether taking over, not much more. 

>  8) `Exciting world of the laboratory [. . .]' (44.25) Why is he
>     saying this to the dog? Are we still in the Mrs Nussbaum fantasy
>     or are these his thoughts or is he really just talking to the dog?

Talking to the dog, but with what irony! If the dog is indeed a "near
miss" rocket dog, we may be talking to Slothrop's familiar. And given
the 
next scene, the "exciting world of the laboratory" is as hideous a hell 
as anything the rocket might bring...

> 12) "Spectro" (47.1) As in spectre? spectrum? inspector?

Also just an evil comic book name...
 
> 15) "spike" (47.33) As a verb?

Verb. I've heard med students use the term.

> 16) "Abreactions of the Lord of the Night" (48.14) Lord of the Night
>     corresponds to the god Nox in Latin or the god Nux (nu upsilon,
>     xi) in Greek. Is this Spectro? Does the phrase mean
>     dreams/nightmares or reactions caused by Spectro? 

Caused by sedation. Unless I'm reading wrong, the people being sedated
in this ward are all survivors of a rocket blast who are having adverse
psychological reactions, and we weave in & out in the narrative from
their thoughts. Spectro's sedations create the drugged fantasies that
may 
turn them into blank slates...Pointsmen "pretty children"

> 20) "How Pointsman lusts aftre them, pretty children" (50.19) Why is
>     the image used "lust"? Why link his scientific fantasies to sex?

My take is it's a counterpoint to Slothrop's hardons. Sex/death.

> 21) "You . . ." (50.31) You? Suddenly we switch to direct address to
>     the reader? Why?

Is it "you" the reader or is the narrator addressing Pointsman?

> 22) Pointsman "scores" an octopus? Does this relate to the previous
>     sexual imagery?

"Score" is drug user parlance for acquiring something, e.g., "I scored
some pot." Not sure the sexual meaning is intended, but anything's
possible.

Enuf from me for now...