Century's child raised Motherless

[David Morris]

>From: Thing
>
>Herbert's relationship to V., his dilemma, his situation, "the situation", 
>is constructed, influenced directly by his views of his father's view of V 
>& Company and by his motherlessness.

This seems to be strongly implied.  When Stencil says "ANOTHER Woman" for me 
he means "other than my mother."  And he also seems to harbor a premonition 
that this she-it might actually be his mother.  Stencil's passionlessness 
might be seen as his defense against his "situation:" Mysterious 
Motherless[and Father]ness.

>"There is more behind and inside V. than any of us had suspected. No who, 
>but what: what is she." HP.V.49
>
>And it is the "the Situation" which appears to be structuring events, the 
>events of the novel even. This is of course Pynchon's first "THEM" or 
>"THEY." And the power, the inexplicable nature of Them or  "the  
>Situation", whoever, whatever "They" are, has got Stencil and maybe a few 
>other characters, maybe even this paranoid reader, maybe even YOU,  
>thinking that They are calling the tune.

Maybe They are, and maybe not.  So far anyway the only "THEM" is distantly 
implied and only in Stencil's ruminations.  He's aware also that his inner 
Whitehall might be the house of a mad prophet.  Whatever may be the truth, 
Stencil is only literally "going through the motions,"  which is at odds 
with his having a deep-seated emotional need at the base of his actions.

If his earlier malaise, and that of TWSC, is the result of being in a world 
of Their Making, just accepting the Forces That Be, then his present action 
is still only a false virility.  It is only an approximation of real-life.  
Put before us is a challenge to evaluate the two conditions side by side.  
Which is "better?"  I'd say the condition of TWSC is prefered, though 
possibly only slightly.  Theirs is a relationship of Souls, governed by 
Fortune and virtue (to be explored in VV4).

So far Stencil's Paranoia is thus:
----------
(56) He'd taken to roving the city, aimlessly, waiting for a coincidence.  
None came.
----------
He is actively seeking correspondences out of the aether.  Unlike Slothrop's 
situation, they (THEY) don't actively seek him.  Stencil's might be the 
infancy of a Creative Paranoia, but he has no developed "They."  He must 
first conjure a viable "They."  Without that he won't even begun to touch 
the fringes of a "WE."  So far his "creative paranoia" is employed 
predominately against his own lethargy.

David-Gomez-Morris


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