Pynchon's reconciliation of apparent opposites WAS Dixon's nonviolence

[s~Z]

Pynchon:
"seizes the Whip,-- the owner comes after it,-- Dixon
places his Fist in the way of the oncoming Face,"

>>>It's still a stretch to describe this as an "assault" by
Dixon<<<

It's a stretch if you don't know the meaning of the word "places"
and the denotation and connotation of the word "Fist" and the
usage of the common phrase "Your face ran into my fist" and you
ignore what would be required on Dixon's part for a broken
tooth to result from the collision.