VLVL Zoyd: good dad or bad dad?

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: "jbor" <jbor at bigpond.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2004 1:16 AM
Subject: Re: VLVL Zoyd: good dad or bad dad?

> > Zoyd's negligence as a father is highlighted nowhere more prominently
> > than in the final chapter where, having been separated from Prairie for
> > several weeks or more, and not even trying to contact her in the
> > meantime, he heads off "looking for beer" when at last she does reappear
> > (370).
>
> And note also how Zoyd leaves when the tv show ends, seemingly without
> even
> noticing that Prairie has arrived. It's as though he'd forgotten about
> Prairie and the danger she was in altogether. Apparently beer, the Tube
> (and dope) are more important to him.
>
> best
>

There's no evidence in the text that he isn't noticing Prairie arriving with
Justin. The kids want to watch tv. So both fathers leave looking for beer. I
don't see the slightest sign of neglect.

> [...]
> > Zoyd has a long history of dumping his daughter on others: sending her
> > off to a Mob wedding with Isaiah isn't the first time.

He is clearly trying to get her out of danger here.

> > When she was an infant he
> > dumped her on Sasha so he could chase Frenesi to Hawaii (56), and then
> > over an extended period of time after that when he got the Kahuna
> > Airlines gig (61-2);

He did not "dump" her -- she's been with her grandma for a while, something
very natural in that age of a child.

The Kahuna Airlines gig is for making money, to fulfill his obligations, not
to avoid them.

> > after the drug bust he leaves her in Eureka "with friends ... all week"
> > when they first arrive in Vineland (325-6).
> >

I cannot find this at 325-6.

> > When Zoyd does send Prairie off with Isaiah he "agreed to keep in touch
> > through Sasha" (54). Of course, this never happens: Prairie tries to
> > call Sasha (325),

"But Sasha was out of town (...)." -- no word of Zoyd here.

> > but Zoyd is too caught up spying on his house, ferrying drugs out
> > of Holytail, and trying to organise various crazy and violent revenge
> > schemes through his lawyer, and through Isaiah, Van Meter and the
> > Harleyite nuns to keep his promise (356-61, 372-3). Seems that
> > short-attention-span Zoyd has forgotten all about Prairie, about
> > keeping in touch via Sasha, and it's Hector yet again who fills him
> > in on where his "kid" is (360-1).
> >
> > After all the crises and trauma she's suffered, at the picnic when Zoyd
> > finally does meet up with Prairie again we're told bluntly that he and
> > Flash "went off for some beer" (370).
> >
> > Zoyd's likeable enough, and Prairie gets on with him, but as a parent
> > he leaves a lot to be desired, which I think is part of the reason that
> > Prairie heads off into the woods to be alone, even before she calls
> > out to Brock to come back and take her away: "It's OK, rilly. Come
> > on, come in. I don't care. Take me anyplace you want." (384)
>

Why does the fact that Zoyd's been looking for a beer while she's watching
tv with Justin the previous day doesn't leave her the choice ("terrified but
obliged" -- p. 384) not to go and look for Brock the next day?

Otto