Benny's Job

[Dawn Hawkins]

Hi I am new to the list and I will say off the bat that I haven't read V. as 
of yet. (The book group I fascilitate currently dislikes me because I gave 
them Gravity's Rainbow and they haven't quite caught on to Pynchon's 
genius.) But, I saw the mythological and religious references to 
Worms/snakes and dragons, and I thought I could add another facet. (If it 
doesn't apply to the story you can force me to memorize all the songs in GR 
and sing them in public).
First, the Dragon has often symbolized mans fear of breaking out of the 
society he lives in through violent change or upheaval.  Joseph Campbell 
refers to the dragon as "slaying thou shalt" and once the dragon os slain 
you are liberated.  The curse would come from not successfully freeing 
ourselves and returning back to life with the knowledge we are trapped, much 
like Adam and Eve becoming aware of sin and their nakeness in the Garden of 
Eden.
   In eastern mythology the snake doesn't carry the negative connotation 
that it has with Christianity.  The snake symbolized rebirth and 
regeneration (this is why it appears on the medical staff) and the sanle 
eating its tail can be an example of the circle of life.  If I remeber 
correctly it is the Hindu god of life that consumed his body up to his head 
meaning that life must eat life to perpetuate itself. Combining this with 
themes in GR and Entropy Pynchon could have meant that man will be 
destructive and will regroup and build up another society only to destroy it 
again and then repeat the process over until we wind down and fade away 
having consumed all life available.

Dawn...who could have misread the post entirely.




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