Battered Paola

[Terrance]

What's up with Paola? Paola  Maijstral? She gets abused and
she seems to be kinda young, but in the end what is it that
TRP is saying with this lady? 

A conditioned old-fashioned reader, he was taught to read
this way. 

Bullshit! 

What is her relationship to V? At this point it is hard to
say, but I suspect that she is an important character and
that the dark days of V may be countered or counterbalanced
by a collection of women in the novel and that this
enigmatic female force-Paola, may function as Nora does in
GR. Maybe? Will she re-assert some positive? Otto asked,
"where is the positive in my reading of Pynchon?"  Maybe
Paola holds one of the keys, a key to human value or dare I
say values? Will she unite a divided world? Will she
re-unite with her husband? In doing so,  will she forge some
resolution of opposites? Will their be a comedy, a marriage,
a homecoming? If not for Paola for Hod? Isn't "Keep Cool But
Care" a bunch on male BS compared with what could be TRP's
so called "philosophical or political position" if it were
stated by Paola and perhaps a couple-few other females in
this novel? There may be reasons for arguing that Sphere is
the guy TRP honors and all that, but...When we get to Sphere
we can reconsider this but what kind of deep thinking and
insight is this guy capable of?  Perhaps that part of the
point? Yes, I think so, but just because no REVELATION is
coming doesn't mean that one needn't be a bit introspective
and critical and perhaps like Paola, develop the  ability to
analyze one's own actions and then, if only then,  take
responsibility for them. Perhaps Keep Cool but Care is only
just as philosophical and political as Paola's realization,
"Je suis ne. Being born. That's all you have to do." Don't
All events in life follow from the primary event of entering
the world? And doesn't that entrance in itself constitutes
commitment that can be accepted or ignored? I don't know if
I should quote a Greek or and Existentialist here, maybe my
all purpose guy, Dylan? He not busy being born...but
 Maybe
Paola gradually accepts this as Sphere accepts his life.
Life is peace and life is war? What about War? Flip/Flop?
Paola's Maltese heritage and experience during the war help
to mold her attitudes. Maijstral writes to Paola, that
"having been abandoned so early to a common underground,
questions of want or possession never occurred to you."
That's an interesting thought. And again, I don't know if I
should quote Weber on Catholicism or Graves on Hitler and
the Jews.