MDMD(1)--Card Table

[John D. Atchison]

>Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 09:17:16
>To: jpender at saturn.vcu.edu
>From: "John D. Atchison" <blicero at linknet.net>
>Subject: Re: MDMD(1)--Card Table
>
>At 07:25 PM 6/8/97 -0400, you wrote:
>>Much has been said about the masterful opening of the book and its
>>deliberate echo of GR. Also, many of us seem to isolate specific passage
>>and to use them as metaphoric "roadmaps" to Pynchon's narrative.As far
>>as I know, however, no one has mentioned the following passage which
>>could serve as a possible metaphor for the entire book:
>>
>>"mostly Pine and Cherry about, nor much Mahogany, excepting a sinister
>>and wonderful Card Table which exhibits the cheaper Wave-like Grain
>>known in the Trade as Wand'ring Heart, causing an illusion of Depth into
>>which for years children have gaz'd as into the illustrated Pages of
>>Books. . ."
>>
>>
>>
>>Anyone else see echos of this passage in the book?
>>
>>John Pendergast
>>Virginia Commonwealth University
>
>As a metaphor, it resounds throughout M&D and resonates throughout Mr.
Pynchon's other work.
>Consider.... Pine is a white colored wood, cherry is red and mahogany is
dark brown to black.  If we map this metaphor onto the races which
predominate the story...Caucasian, Indian and Negro, the noted passage takes
on greater depths. 
>  "nor much Mahogany... cheaper...Wand'ring Heart"
>Slavery as an "illusion of depth into which...etc"
>   As well as the hidden drawers and etc. of this table.
> For what it's worth
>                      John A.
>