Zoyd/Cheryle & Oedipa/Arnold & who won the war?

[wood jim]

Oed is walking along Broadway (110). 
Tourists pile out of a Volkswagen  (the German
people's car, manufactured in Mexico and very popular,
particularly among the young crowd in the U.S.A.
during the 1960s). I think this is  important. When
Oed goes to Berkeley, the kids have Hondas and
Suzukis. The IA founder, who survived the battle of
the bulge, is given a pair of Japanese binoculars as a
going away gift. His wife gave them to him the day
after he got his pink slip from Yoyodyne, the same day
she left him for the efficiency expert who replaced
him with the 
I-Beam 7094.  In VL, Zoyd notes that the cars in the
Parking Lot at the Log Jam (kinda the 80s not so coy
way of saying Greek) are German cars. The Barman
reminds him that the Lucas film "The Return of the
Jedi (1983) has changed things forever, changed
consciousness and that gentrification has even
modernized his bar, which is now a Gay lumber jack
pub. Like Oed and like Benny in Norfolk, he receives a
mysterious  phone call. It is his friend Van Meter,
but it's not clear how Van Meter knew where Zoyd could
be receive a call. So we get the old, "did I call you
or did you call me? gag, just like the call Oedipa
gets in the middle of the night or the call Benny
receives in the Norfolk Bust depot. In any event, Zoyd
will soon  meet Hector Zuniga, a Mexican-American who,
obsessed with Zoyd's wife is also  fixed on popping
Zoyd's Cherry. 


Oed has an ID pinned to her. 
The name on the ID is Arnold Snarb. 
Oed is now a "man/tourist" looking for a good time in
the Greek Way, a homosexual's bar. 
This is in the 1960s and the Gay/Lesbian lexicon has
changed quite a lot, but the Greek way, the lavender
crowd, the third sex (remember Driblette says, the
drop the soap crowd) is the homosexual male community.
Note that the tour guide says that he will take them
over to Finocchio's ( Finnochio's was another 
favorite tourist spot in San Francisco, it's also on
Broadway, but it's famous for  cross-dressing) if they
behave. Therefore, they seem to be making the rounds.
The Greek Way is a homosexual's bar and that's
probably why our IA, whom I assume was "addicted" to
loving straight females, is in there getting drunk. He
apparently likes to drink too.  

Anyway, the scenes do invite compare/contrast. 

Wood & Ships 

I can see by your coat, my friend
You're from the other side
There's just one thing I've got to know
Can you tell me please, who won....





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