Brock and Frenesi

[Peter Petto]

At 01:36 PM 12/5/98 -0500, Justin Roby wrote:

>Hey, I have to have sympathy for anyone who names their kid "Justin" (who
>would be my age, too, maybe a couple years younger?)... Ultimately, tho',
>it might have to do with her being manipulated (yes, it is a two way
>street... but we might ask the question if Weed Atman as a thanatoid would
>want to get karmically adjusted with her or with Brock? (comically
>adjusted?)).  Pynchon, with the string of strong women (Frenesi and DL
>forming a twinset similar to Katje/Jessica... and where does Oed fit in?)
>tends to portray them as sympathetic... even Bianca's mother <GR> we feel
>pity for (the lowest form of sympathy).

I agree that Frenesi was manipulated, but she doesn't seem strong to me, at
least at this point in the story, "...she had lost too much control, time
was rushing all around her, these were rapids, and as far ahead as she
could see it looked like Brock's stretch of river...." (216.18)

She seems more like a lost soul, and certainly deserving of pity.

But I feel more sympathy for her than pity would explain. Which is probably
sympathy for Prairie, transferred. I want Prairie to have a good Mom, a Mom
she can admire. 



ps - I like the Dalkey quote in your sig...is the book as good as this snippet?