Holding up a mirror...

[Terrance]

Tim Strzechowski wrote:
> 
> >
> > Disagree. I don't think P writes morally ambiguous fictions.
> >
> >
> > How does the novel do that?
> >
> >
> 
> Any text that can be considered "ambiguous" achieves this ambiguity by
> presenting both sides of a particular situation and giving the reader little
> or no bearings for how s/he should resolve the ambiguity.

Sure. I agree. 


> 
> In the case of VL, I think our discussion for the past few months has served
> to establish the various ways in which Pynchon achieves this in the text.


Sure. 


> Since up to this point in our reading the most fully realized character is
> Zoyd, we've established that he may be viewed either as an ex-hippie
> Pynchonian schlemiel who is content to "get by" with minimal effort (an
> annual window jump + odd jobs), who cares for his daughter, who has *tried*
> to remain aloof of the conspiratorial Hector, and whose marriage and general
> existence has been manipulated by Brock Vond. On the other hand, we've also
> established that he is also a sell-out to the government and its economics,
> a father of questionable ability, and part and parcel of the 1980's economic
> and political agenda while trying to represent the antithesis of all that
> means "selling out to The Man."
 
> Further, given the fact that many listers have argued both ways whether Zoyd
> is to viewed as a sympathetic character is testament to the balance with
> which Pynchon  has drawn this character.  Similar to the reader's reaction
> to the title character(s) in Melville's _The Confidence Man_, we are given
> (by Pynchon) reasons to believe one thing about Zoyd, and then P slips in
> support for the other belief, all the while never *really* giving the reader
> moral bearings on which way is "right" (although some readers might claim to
> be privy to what is right).


But CM is not morally ambiguous. And neither is VL. 

You're arguing a **Moral** ambiguity. 




How does the text do that (**Moral**  ambiguity)? 

Moreover, ow we gonna explain this to the children? 

I mean, Frenesi was one confused cookie growing up with all them adults
acting like kids, beating people up, screwing their friends and being
screwed over. I guess we could use that old daisy chain to explain it.
If your going to San Francisco ...