GRGR(6) - Ep. 15 Reader Dissonance.

[Paul Mackin]

On Fri, 16 Jul 1999, Jill Adams wrote:
> Lately, Gary T. , rj and Michael P. have pointed out references to
> Slothrop's character or other things that just drive home for me how HOLLOW
> the character of Slothrop is and how flimsy the premise of discovering
> where the bombs are going to fall based on some character's erections. I
> surely hope the plot gets better than it is at this point. Thank god that
> these exact same listers are also contributing helpful information to
> actually understand the GR. Who is Slothrop really? He doesn't cotton on to
> the bomb/sex thing, and I can't sympathize with any chick who would think
> Slothrop is hot enough to sleep with, because there isn't much substance to
> his character. Are people being paid to sleep with him?  And like Jeremy I
> force myself to reread chapters after getting almost zilch out of them. At
> least with M&D we got lots of depth of character definition for both
> characters in the very first few pages. 


For me who's read the book about 20 times it's nice hearing from someone
first reading it. Your instincts are good about girls being paid to sleep
with Slothrop. Although I don't remember such ever being stated anywhere
it fits in with the everything-is-planed-by-somebody feeling of paranoia
running throughout. Slothrop and Katje probably aren't supposed to have
much character so don't worry if you have trouble reading them. I was
never even tempted to try. They simply play their assigned roles in a
world gone mad and dang entertaining roles these are.  Analyzing  
any of these puppet characters is futile IMHO. Although P will slip into
his  moralizing tone now and then (perhaps because he afterall has the
same unconscious oedipal feelings of quite a few others of the
sixties generation) don't be fooled. He always comes to his senses and
what went before will be  countermanded a page, a pararaph, or a half a
book later.  Personally I thought the erections, boyishly masterbatory are
they are,  were a pretty clever device  to drive to plot. Anyway, please
keep reading. 

			P.