Keith's question re MDMD Dixon's act of nonviolence

[David Morris]

>From: "s~Z" <keithmar at msn.com>
>>Doug:
>>>Again, Pynchon leaves it ambiguous, leaves it to the reader to attribute 
>>>an intention to Dixon's action.
>
>But, it seems fair to remain true to the words in the text in attributing 
>intention regarding the making of a fist and the placement of said fist. 
>You're adding ambiguity regarding specifics that are not at all ambiguous, 
>because, if you don't, it violates your presupposition that Dixon would not 
>commit a violent act. There is no ambiguity. He actively created a 
>collision between his fist and a face, which broke a man's tooth. He did 
>not kill the man.

But immediately after the *placing* (an intentional act) of his fist in the 
path of the face Dixon says with great passion that he intends to kill the 
slave driver.  Thus Pynchon does NOT "leave it to the reader to attribute an 
intention to Dixon's action."

Nevertheless, Mr. Monroe insists "... excpet that, in all accuracy, again, 
there is no punch (thrown or otherwise) per se, despite the end
result being the same."  But he's wrong.  There was a punch which *happened* 
when the face hit the intentionally placed fist.  And as for *force*, it 
took *force* to make that fist remain immobile when the face hit it.

Again, it seems clear to me that this whole shtick is a play on Dixon's 
Quakerism vs. his passions.  Dixon chooses to "let" the face be struck, and 
it's supposed to be funny.  But all this stupidity on the part of Doug and 
Mr. Monroe will continue *till kingdom come* because Doug loves the 
masochistic attention, and Monroe will continue to play his political games.

>From Cambridge Dictionary Online:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Assault:  (law) Assault is any act which causes someone to think they are in 
immediate danger of being physically harmed, whether or not injury follows. 
[Dixon's threat to kill the slave driver]

David Morris





_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 
http://www.hotmail.com