VLVL2(3): Hector's fall

[Tim Strzechowski]

From: "Mary Krimmel" <mary at krimmel.net>

> Thanks to those responsible for suggesting the hint of possible
> Christ/Satan duality.
>
> Hector's fall is slightly reminiscent of Satan's in Milton's "Paradise
Lost".
>
>   "... among the fallen, he [Hector] had fallen further than most, not in
> distance alone but also in the quality of descent having begun long ago
> concentrated and graceful as a sky diver..."
>
> "   From morn
> To noon he [Satan] fell, from noon to dewy eve,
> A summer's day; and with the setting sun
> Dropp'd from the zenith like a falling star."
>

Mary, this is great!  And the possibility of examining parallels between
Milton's Satan and Pynchon's Hector are truly compelling.

I guess my foremost question arises from the Satan side:  Milton's Satan,
for as fascinating a character as he is, is ultimately a reactionary
character.  That is, all that he does and all that he says are a reaction to
the "injustice" he feels he's been dealt by the "tyrant of Heav'n," God.
That reaction fuels his increasingly tragic circumstances.

Does Hector likewise possess an impetus for a fallen condition, similar to
Milton's Satan and his interpretation of God?

Respectfully,

Tim