VLVL 4: RC

[jbor]

on 31/12/03 4:53 AM, Terrance wrote:

> Are there any positive portrayals of **American**  Vietnam Vets in
> Vineland? 

I don't think that RC, or even Blood, are depicted totally negatively either
of course. Or, another way of putting it is that I don't think that any
character in the novel is a completely "positive" portrayal. I don't think
that illustrating preconceived notions of "good" and "evil" is what
Pynchon's texts are about, though I do think he pushes the envelope for the
reader to think about the type of judgements she or he makes about what's
"moral" or "correct" and what isn't. There are always complications of
perspective and scale which get factored in to the situation.

> Of course, Australians also participated in the Vietnam war.

Same sorts of issues applied as they did for Americans I think: years of
conscription, anti-war protests, conscientious objectors, many soldiers
killed and maimed, atrocities committed over there, many of those who
returned were severely traumatised, were personally and publicly condemned,
arrival of large numbers of South-East Asian refugees etc.

> Guess we can talk about that when we get to it.

Yeah, when Takeshi and DL meet up again with Blood and Vato and the "Dragon
Lady" we get to see a different side of them as well.

best