SLSL "A Small Rain"

[Paul Mackin]

William Zantzinger wrote:

>  
>
>
>     I think that Nathan "Lardass" Levine is more of a prototype for
>     Seaman "Pig"
>     Bodine.
>
>     I ca't see this at all. Laedass and Pig? How? Why?
>
>
I might see some of the similarties Rob did but do find problems as 
well. Pig sure never went to  CCNY. Hard to think Lardass did. I knew 
more than one Pig in the course of my "navy career" and have also known  
CCNY grads.  Never met a Lardass,  Not conclusive I know but to go on 
Pynchon was making use of what he had, which was a knowledge of barracks 
(same as shipboard) life including how enlisted men and lower rank 
officers talk, plus the literary lore that goes with being an English 
major.  How to economically fuse these two strengths into a short piece 
of fiction. Lardass was the answer even if (in my opinion) quite a 
synthetic one. I'm sure Pynchon already knew enough this early in his 
young life  to include a Bodine (Pig is a common type in the military) 
but a Pig would not have economically and conveniently fit. It's just 
too bad that there was no Baedeker for small southern state colleges and 
their coeds. I'm not knocking the story.  As I say he worked with what 
he had.

P.