GRGR 31 Shit'n'Shinola

[Paul Mackin]

On Mon, 31 Jul 2000, jbor wrote:
>  . . .  The other interesting thing in this particular
> fragment is how the (non-)meeting between ("Red") Malcolm X and JFK Jr at
> Roseland echoes that fictional (non-)meeting between Enzian and Tchitcherine
> ("the Red Doper" 719.9), Slothrop and Geli respectively as the Oneirinic
> intercessionists:
> 
>      Certainly not the first time a man has passed his brother by, at the
>      edge of evening, often forever, without knowing it. (735)


I'm always impressed with the several possible interpretations
of "passed" which in Pynchon would not necessarily imply mutual
exclusivity.

Tchecherine passes over his brother without killing him which is what
we've been lead to believe was his intent. Geli has magically marked E.
to be passed over--in the Passover sense that is.

T passes over his brother without acknowledging their Brotherhood which is
what the quoted line itself sounds like. 

There is also the Calvinist sense of passing over, condemned to physical
and spiritual death--the sense of preterition in the Herero expressed in
the phrase "mba kayere." (according to Weisenburger I believe or maybe
it's actually in the text)

It would be nice if we could apply all the layering to the Jack and
Red situation as well.

Well, of course we can if we try.

			P.