Against the Day/Songs

[Paul Mackin]

On Jul 21, 2006, at 5:29 PM, Chris Broderick wrote:

> Paul sez:
>
> Important so we won't start worrying that Pynchon has
> necessarily
> gone religious on us just because he continues (from
> GR) to use
> Christian imagery.
>
> So I sez:
>
> I don't think you have anything to worry about.  The
> title isn't "The Day Is Nigh", after all.

There's nothing to worry about.

>
> Then Paul sez:
>
> It is just a missile.  Symbolic not of a vengeful God
> but of
> Technology, Death, and  Destruction.
>
> So I say:
>
> I think it's both.  After all, the opening sentence is
> "A screaming comes across the sky."  Screaming is a
> pretty anthropomorphic verb.

That's a perfectly good interpretation.  Human screaming usually  
indicates pain. It could be the general run of the mill  pain of the  
victims of war. Or maybe something grander, more aesthetic,   
sadomasochistic pain,  pain of the type arising from those strange  
sexual practices the new book blurb gives continuing promise of .   
The beautiful pain Rilke cries out about but the angels deem not to  
notice. The pain Blicero inflicts on his lover. A decided possibility.

Or perhaps a general spiritual pain of a doomer humanity.

> I think that this
> tension between some supernatural force that shapes
> our ends and an indifferent, spiritless universe is a
> major element of all of Pynchon's work, and
> particularly GR.  But it's not merely Christian, or
> for that matter, monotheist, or even specifically
> religious.

Definitely none of the above.

> But I'd argue that missiles in GR are not
> just symbols of technology, death & destruction.
> After all, they give Slothrop hard-ons.

True Pynchon might at times pine for  resurrection of the body and  
other impossible dreams but I think that's about as far
  as he's likely willing to go..

P.
>
> -Chris
>
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