VLVL: What troubles Zoyd's sleep? (Was Why Hawaii and Summative Thoughts)

[Don Corathers]

Well of course Prairie kvetches. She's 14. But her complaints about Zoyd's
parenting skills are a little bit disingenuous, considering he's the only
parent she's had growing up and she's a great kid. The organization and
leadership she will show in the Retreat's kitchen, the equilibrium she
maintains as she learns her mother's story--these qualities had to come from
somewhere.

I think the text presents Zoyd with great affection, showing us both his
weakness and his basic decency and ultimately giving us a portrait of a
resilient, resourceful mensch. He has some bad habits and maybe some
disreputable friends, but unlike Hector, Brock, and Frenesi, he never
deliberately sets out to mess somebody over. Next to those three, Zoyd's
character flaws are all misdemeanors.

Don

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terrance" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
Cc: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: VLVL: What troubles Zoyd's sleep? (Was Why Hawaii and Summative
Thoughts)


>
>
>
> Zoyd sleeps in like a teenager while his teen daughter heads off to work
> (after feeding the dog, taking a message for him from the TV people and
> arranging a ride with Thapsia).
> He hasn't learned much. Still a boy who refuses to grow up. (see P's
> comments on American Males in SL Intro and Benny Profane, Pig Bodine and
> the whole sick crew of American boyz) Zoyd's neglect of his daughter is
> not quite as bad as the abuse so many of the kids in this novel have to
> put up (not from the government but from their baby-boom parents), but
> Prairie is constantly complaining about his lack of parenting skills,
> his pot smoking, his sexual proclivities, and so on.  The moral yard
> stick is in the text.
>
> Why does Zoyd plan to mess  with hard working men at the Log Jam? What
> did they do to him?
>
> Why does he write a hot check for the dress?
>
> Why does a girl around his daughter's age say he should be locked up?
>
> Why is he doing business with all these criminal types?
>
> And with new age restaurants that cater to yuppies?
>
> Why does he get off driving in the fog with his lights off?
>
> Why, at the novel's end, is Zoyd still driving in the fog with his
> lights off and hoping to run into Brock Vond?
>
> Zoyd is a wonderful character. We like him.
>
> We can't save him. He's gonna stay in Never Never Land.