Pointsman's Fear

[Craig Clark]

Adam J. Thornton <adam at phoenix.Princeton.EDU> writes:
 
> Not quite.
> 
> There's one really interesting thing about Marvy.  He can only recognize
> people from their insignia and uniforms.  When Slothrop is wearing his Ian
> Scuffling garb he's "that Limey bastard."  When he is wearing his
> de-insigniaed Russian uniform, he's "comrade."
> 
> And it is significant that Major Duane Marvy's downfall comes because he is
> caught by those, like him, who can only see uniforms.  Marvy ditches his
> own uniform because of the cocaine into it, and slides on into the
> Plechazunga costume.  And in so doing, he is captured and emasculated
> because his captors never check on the identity of the Man Behind The Pig.

I think this is TRP's satiric comment on one aspect of the miltary 
mind, and in turn on Their mindset: that the eradication of 
individual personality which takes place where human beings are 
regimented and dressed all alike in uniform creates space for those 
who oppose Their purposes to do so. _GR_ may be an intensely 
despairing book, but it does offer windows of hope, and this is one 
of them. I'm remembering also that wonderful quote about "Not all 
lemmings go over the cliff" when Ludwig finds Ursula...

Craig Clark

"Living inside the system is like driving across
 the countryside in a bus driven by a maniac bent
 on suicide."
   - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"