VLVL2 (9): Real Ninja Product

[Tim Strzechowski]

131.6:  "Then you know how personal this is.  If you want real ninja product, that could get in the way. . . . I assume you're buying skills and not just feelings here?"


(Curiously, this last remark is structured as a declarative sentence, yet indicated as a question.  A-and it uses four ellipses, too!  Jeez, don't get me started!)


This statement is spoken by DL and has a certain drug-deal flavor to it, especially due to: "you want real ninja product."  

Drugs and skills and services (and feelings) can all be purchased in this American economy.

Is Pynchon establishing a parallel between legal and illegal buying and selling?

Is there an ethical and/or moral question being addressed here by the author, for us to consider?

In many ways, this scene doubles the Zoyd and Hector scene in Chapter 3.  And similar to the feelings of paranoia that Zoyd experiences there are those feelings experienced by DL here:

"What was going on here?  Did Ralph have a line into their NCIC computer?  If they knew Brock was a target of Ralph's friends, why fail to protect one of their own?  Unless of course the unfortunate setupee here was more likely DL herself, attempted assassination of a federal officer, some time in the Bureau of Prisons' mindfucking system perhaps. . . ." (131)


(and, of course, those damned ellipses. . . .)


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