GRGR(4) 60.05-62.02 Kenosha Kidding

[Keith McMullen]

So let's begin with this marvelous passage. The scene opens with
Slothrop asleep in St. Veronica's Hospital. As soon as I type this I'm
already doubting it and wondering if I'm missing some cue or some
alternative way of reading it. Only a tenth of the way with through the
book and I'm already fucked. The magic has taken effect. But, according
to 61.15ff 'These changes in the text "You never did the Kenosha Kid"
are occupying Slothrop's awareness as the doctor leans in out of the
white overhead to wake him and begin the session.' So, it looks
reasonable to assume that Slothrop was dozing and having a dream. But,
if you think about it, it's more of a hypnagogic thing. You know how in
that twilight state between sleeping and waking you start having bizarre
thoughts and imagery? The thoughts seem completely rational until your
lover or a pet awakens you and you reflect back on what you were
thinking. It all seems so crazy in retrospect. Perhaps Slothrop is
having such an experience. And his awakening comes from the hand above,
this time incarnate in perhaps Pointsman [as opposed to Pointsgod?]
leaning in out of the white overhead. A peculiar sensitivity to
revelations from above indeed. Sometimes it's a rocket plunging into the
earth. This time it's a needle plunging into his vein. This revelation
from above evokes revelations from below. Way below. But, back to the
hypnagogic state, prior to the administration of sodium amytal. Here we
still have some of our ego intact and aware. The material is below the
level of ordinary consciousness but is most likely limited to the
personal unconscious. After the injection of the truth serum we get down
into the deeper levels. Into the collective unconscious. That primordial
underground of our being. Thus the initial content is more superficial
compared to the indescent later in the section. You can see the drug
take effect. Step (5) is actually more superficial than (4). He has been
awakened by the researcher and the drug hasn't hit pay dirt. But, with
(6) we're into archetypal reality ladies and gentlemen. Ritual
sacrifice. Snap to. Isn't that usually a phrase associated with waking
up? Well, I guess that's what truth serum does. It wakes us up. By
putting our CNS to sleep? Is there a real doctor in the house? One thing
always has to be sacrificed for something else to live. True on the
physical plane. True on the psychological plane. This blather is just
one way of parsing the section. I put a period here a comma there. Add
some outer context, and the text takes on a certain possible meaning.
How about you folks? Where do you put the punctuation marks? What
context do you bring? Only one rule. Leave all the words in the order
presented. You just can't move the words around. Don't complain to me.
It's not my rule.