MDDM Ch. 5: "an act of Him"

[Paul Mackin]

Rob's suggestion that "one" rather than "Him" is the operate word is
plausible enough but if one did want to pursue further possibilities for
"Him" there would be the following:

1. Satan.  Perhaps Mason is asking Dixon if the power of the devil is
important in the Quaker scheme of things.
" . . . . a common Belief among your People?" I myself don't think it is but
Mason may not know one way or the other.

2. Or, along the same lines, another "him" that comes to mind might be the
him of Adam Smith's Invisible Hand  (mentioned later in the book). We are of
course told by the godless Enlightenment that this theoretical underpinning
of capitalism and free enterprise works purely without external
intentionality (much like Darwin's survival of the fittest evolution) but
what if this were not strickly 100 percent true. What if there were some
external force out there, working, perhaps at cross purposes to the
Almighty, to keep Mason and Dixon on their course of Empire. Now there's
some paranoia for you.

            P.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2001 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: MDDM Ch. 5: "an act of Him"


> The Trinity is an article of faith for Anglicans,  isn't it? Quakers don't
> explicitly reject it like the Unitarians but don't have doctirnes (or
> clergy) at all
>
> So Mason's "a common Belief among your people" is slightly puzzling
> (especially given the initial cap) because it can't very accurately refer
to
> theological beliefs, unless Mason may not know all that much about
Quakers.
>
> Also what does Coal-Mining have to do with anything? Only thing one might
> think is that it's very dark in coal mines, only allowing for the INNER
> light.
>
> Reminds me of that Bette Davis movie where her Welch coal-mining pupil
> writes in his essay: Even though I walk in the dark I will still know that
> the corn is green.
>
>
>         P.
>
>
> Original Message -----
> From: "Michel Ryckx" <michel.ryckx at freebel.net>
> To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2001 6:34 AM
> Subject: Re: MDDM Ch. 5: "an act of Him"
>
>
> > jbor's explanation makes sense; but, though a bit late to stumble in on
> this
> > one: may there not be an other explanation?
> >
> > The Roman catholics have a Father, a Son and a Holy Ghost.  I do not
know
> how
> > the Church of England thinks about that; and what do the Quakers say
about
> that
> > topic?  If the Anglicans hold the same view on the Trinity, then "which
> one tha'
> > mean" on 43.5 would be: which of the three, father, son of holy ghost.
It
> would
> > be logical given the " . . . a common belief among your people? at 42.7
> >
> > Michel
> > (I'll start MDMD(5) tonight --Greenwich Time here--, if there are no
> > objections.)
> >
> > jbor wrote:
> >
> > > My reading of the opening misunderstanding (42) between M & D in the
> chapter
> > > is that it is not over the word "Him", but the word "act". Mason says
> that
> > > it was "an act of Him so strange, His purposes unknown", meaning of
> course
> > > an act of "God", to which Dixon replies "I'm not sure which one tha
> mean",
> > > meaning he isn't sure which "act" Dixon is referring to (i.e. the
order
> to
> > > sail, the attack, the retreat etc). If Dixon were referring to the
"Him"
> > > then he wouldn't have used the pronoun "one" in his reply, surely?
And,
> it
> > > fits in much better with Mason's wry rejoinder to Dixon's observation
at
> > > chapter's close about lightning not striking twice.
> >
> > [snip]
> >
>