VLVL 4: War, politics and love

[Terrance]

> 
> It's odd that they'd rename themselves after a brand of Cola and a type of
> ice cream though. 

Actually, a Moonpie is a pie of sorts that was designed to fit into coal
miner's lunch buckets. I thought that Monroe or Tim posted the story of
RC Cola and Moonpie. Worth lookin at. A successful partnership if ever
there was one. 


I think Pynchon has to be taking the piss a little bit. Or
> else they were, which could be more of a possibility except for what they've
> called their children -- "Morning" is the eldest and "Lotus" is the baby --
> which are pure stereotypes of the sort of godawful names which hippie folk
> lumbered their kids with back in the '60s.

Yeah, another odd set of twins: RC/Moonpie and Lotus/Morning. 




> 
> A-and I just noticed that the narrative actually describes them as a "bush
> vet and his family" (35.18), which pretty much nails it. Every other time
> I've read the novel I think I must've skimmed over that "vet" as short for
> veterinarian, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense but sort of fitted in
> vaguely with their alternative, nature-friendly lifestyle, but I think it's
> fair to say that RC's *definitely* presented by Pynchon as a Vietnam vet
> who'd gone off to live in the "bush" after his discharge. Incognito.

I don't think so. They are farmers. 

The use of nails, the housing market is shot to hell, and pig to catch
crustaceans is pretty ironic too. 

> 
> Which I guess puts quite a different spin on why they might've actively
> "erased" their "trail since the war" (35.25-7). It now seems likely to me
> that RC and Moonpie were ashamed of the fact that he had served in Vietnam,
> and had changed their names and tried to start life afresh when he returned
> with the rest of the US troops in January 1973 after the Paris Peace Accords
> were signed. So, more deceit, another sellout story.

Maybe, but there is no textual support for this conjecture. But maybe it
will get Duggy to open his book for once.