GRGR(25) - Trees

[David Morris]

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(552.38)
Trees, now - Slothrop's intensely alert to trees, finally.  When he comes in 
among trees he will spend time touching them, studying them, sitting very 
quietly near them and understanding that each tree is a creature, carrying 
on its individual life, aware of what's happening around it, not just some 
hunk of wood to be cut down.  Slothrop's family actually made its money 
killing trees [for PAPER!][...] "That's really insane."
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Of course Pynchon knows that the well-worn book I'm now reading, in fact ALL 
the books he's ever sold, are made of PAPER!  So what's an author-moralist 
to do?  How can one justify killing an helpless sentient being, worse, 
thousands of such beings, especially for a payment made of PAPER-money (more 
tree killing!!!)?

Joeseph Campbell wrote about the origins of the animal-religions of early 
civilizations.  He reasoned such religions arose from the need for a 
reconciliation/justification within the heart of a "conscious killer.(my 
term)," meaning killing done by one who recognizes "himself" within the 
visage of his intended victim.  The rituals of these religions arise as a 
propitiation to the spirit one is killing, an apology for the necessary 
evil.

In these chapters we find Slothrop becoming more and more a "Mr. Natural," a 
spiritual medium attuned to the Earth's frequencies.  In this way I do 
believe kai has struck.  Slothrop is a throwback to William Slothrop's fork 
in the road America rejected.  Reconciliation with the Earth, with the 
necessary evil required by survival.
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