VLVL The deal

[jbor]

on 19/3/04 8:48 AM, jbor wrote:

> Brock's motives are
> sexual rather than political or criminal, and Frenesi and he are together
> again when he forces Zoyd to make the deal. The set-up which Hector is sent
> to implement is in reality an "estupidass marriage-counselor errand", one
> which Hector's doing as "a favor for a friend" (295), and I get the
> impression that the emphasis he puts on the word "*friend*" could suggest
> that it's Frenesi he's actually referring to, not Brock.
> 
> Why else does Brock wait until "a year after Frenesi had moved out" before
> going after Zoyd (294), unless it's Frenesi who is pulling his strings too
> by dropping the bombshell about Prairie's existence? Attempted comparisons
> to _1984_ are hopelessly strained imho.

The chapter opens with a report of how Frenesi told Brock about Prairie, and
Brock's knee-jerk response to that news (294.1-8). The events described from
there on in are a direct result of this conversation, with Frenesi the one
who is manipulating things -- NB that the whole episode takes place "nearly
a year after Frenesi had moved out", so Prairie is something like 16-18
months old at least. If it's all and only Brock's doing then how come he
hadn't harassed Zoyd before this?

Hector doesn't answer to Brock; he is worried about losing his job in the
Nixonian restructure (295.11-15), and that is why he agrees to run this
"estupidass marriage-councelor errand". And, as we saw earlier, Hector does
go out of his way to look out for Zoyd's best interests. He calls Sasha to
come and look after Prairie. This unexpected act of kindness goes a long way
to explaining the sort of grudging mutual trust and respect which has built
up between the two men over the years.

Finally, NB also the final touch in Brock's sexual powerplay -- the S&M
overtones which Zoyd projects onto what he witnesses in particular -- where
Brock forces Zoyd to watch as he escorts a "steadfastly smiling Frenesi"
into the car which will take them both away to be together. Zoyd is made to
confront the fact that "she'd been somewhere inside all along, in Brock's
custody" (304.11-25). There's a deliberate pun on that word "custody" here.

best