re Re: re Hanging This Bloody Thread

[Doug Millison]

In M&D, Pynchon creates a character called Jeremiah Dixon (I referred to
this character in the earlier message you reference as the
'Dixon-created-by-Pynchon?') similar to the historical Jeremiah Dixon. I
admire (applaud) the actions that Pynchon's character takes in this episode
of the novel, for intervening and freeing these slaves instead of passing
by, for  choosing to use minimal force in so doing, for heeding his
conscience and choosing not to whip or kill the slave driver and thus
stopping the cycle of violence instead of prolonging it.   My reading of
this character is my reading of this character.

Your email is a bit cryptic.  Are you aguing that Dixon doesn't heed his
conscience and free the slaves and refrain from whipping or killing the
slave driver in this episode in ch. 72? (I thought everybody accepted those
basic elements of the scene, except for jbor who continues to argue that
Dixon beats the driver with his own whip even though Pynchon doesn't say
Dixon did that.  If so, what do you see in Pynchon's text here to support
such an argument?


Keith:
>In that statement above, are you saying that your reading of the
>Dixon character
>is the same as the 'Dixon-created-by-Pynchon?'

>If so, do you stand by that assertion, or would you like to
>re-state it in terms that you actually believe?

Since you seem to be in mind-reading mode, I'm curious to know what you
think I "actually believe," Keith?

Here's a hint:  I believe for every drop of rain, a flower grows....