GRGR(7) - Pointy's Obsession

[David Morris]

David sed;>
>>Pointy has clearly "lost it," even by his own definition.  He is
obsessed
>>with the monster (Minotaur) which is Slothrop, and thinks that the
(Nobel)
>>prize (for Theseus, the prize was Ariadne herself, and he treated her
like a
>>trophy, leaving her solitary on an island) will be his when he slays
that
>>beast.>

Rich:
>Yes, no one's gonna invite Pointy to their birthday party, but
>despite his madness, the fear he has if Slothrop roams after the
>war is a real one, a world, strangely enough, Slothrop exemplifies,
>namely a totally mad world, one that may be better than Pointsman's
>cause and effect clockwork world, but still mad just the same.

Rich,
Could you elaborate on your comments above:

1. How is Pointy's fear of a free Slothrop "real" (meaning "valid?")?
It seems to me that Slothrop is a Rorschach Blot, drawing out everyone's
fears/hopes, which may or may not be "real."

2. How does Slothrop exemplify "a world gone mad?"  He's not unscathed;
something "very bad" happened to him in the past, but is he "mad?"  Or
is he really a "monster," which may be your meaning, i.e.. the bad
result of "the War's" tinkering.  That's possible, but the cout's still
out, i'd say.  Pointy, I think, is clearly "mad," at least this
diagnosis is hard-written into the text, IMHO.

----------
(144.1) Spectro is dead, and Slothrop [...] was with his Darlene, only a
few blocks from St. Veronica's, two days before.
----------

When I read this line again last night, I read "his" Darlene to means
"Spectro's" Darlene.  It could be either (although strict grammarians
might disagree).  Anyway, it does raise the question of why PISCES would
set up a tryst-experiment with Slothrop only two blocks away, or why,
since they at least knew he nailed Darlene there, they wouldn't have
stayed away from that area for a week or so.