GRGR(29): Roger's mission

[Paul Mackin]

On Mon, 12 Jun 2000, Jeremy Osner wrote:

> There is some kind of deep irony contained in the fact that Roger,
> though he has come over to Our side, is still trying to accomplish the
> same task, of going to Germany and "rescuing" Slothrop. The motivations
> are complex: he is doing his job; and he wants to do what's right
> because he feels sympathy for Slothrop. Because he is doing his job,
> though, you have to factor in the motivations of those who give him
> orders: when he is at PISCES, the motivations of Mossmoon (who wants to
> avoid bad publicity) and Pointsman (who wants to continue his
> experiments). When he is with the Counterforce, what are the motivations
> of Pirate/ whomever Pirate reports to? Are We bureaucratic in the same
> way They are?

P. 638 seems to be trying to say what the We-system is. Quite bewildering
to Roger and the reader and no wonder since delusions are the center of
focus. Delusions about Them and delusions about Us (We). Delusions seem to
stand for Truth and Reality, as officially defined. Sounds like it might 
be a discussion between Pragmatic and Absolutist philosophers-- with a few
deconstructionists standing around kititzing. Who does the official
defining anyway? Is it stated whether it is the case that We create the
They-system. Goodness knows We need It. But does It need Us? Roger senses
that the opposition between They and We is dubious, some kind of social
construct and the issue drifts off into a Pynchonean dismissal. "Don't
let it bother you. You'll find you can operate quite well." Somehow I
don't get the impression they any dialectical synthesis is expected to
result from the clash of the Force with Counterforce or the They- and
We-systems.