VLVL Zoyd: good dad or bad dad?

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terrance" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 6:05 PM
Subject: Re: VLVL Zoyd: good dad or bad dad?
>
>
> Tim Strzechowski wrote:
> >
> > I disagree with Rob, but I must begin by qualifying that I never
> > suggested that Zoyd is a *model* father.
>
> What do you make of his predilection for high school girls? (VL.54)
>
> Mason likes young girls in gothic black too.  Benny likes jail bait, so
> does Pig. In fact, all the male members of the whole sick crew like jail
> bait.  Oh yeah, Pointsman likes little girls too. And the list goes on
> ... I guess it's just the sort of thing we can expect to read in a novel
> authored by a dissident lefty.

Is it really a predilection for schoolgirls *or* isn't it something
different? The way you say it leaves out the special characteristics that
are mentioned by Prairie too:

(1) a preference for a special kind of weird girls, "girls who inject cough
sirup" for example.

Further it doesn't take into account what Prairie offers as a reason for
this behaviour.

(2) aren't these schoolgirls inappropriate partners
subconsciously/deliberately chosen to avoid any kind of steady
relationship to remain "free" *if* Frenesi ever would decide to come back?
I tend to trust Prairie's impression here (54.10-12) that Zoyd stayed solo
because he "rilly" loved Frenesi, had thought she'd been the one to get old
with.

Otto