NP Best Wishes/Catching Up

[Joe Allonby]

As for Slothrop's flatness how about this developing him as a likable
protagonist capable of very unlikable acts during what is obviously a highly
stressful experience in a combat zone? The effects of war on otherwise
normal men?

On 11/8/06, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think P intends to send the message that Bianca has been corrupted,
> that she's not innocent, pure or even young in the normal sense of the
> word.  Still Slothrop sins when he makes love to her.  He falls for
> her depraved act, and later, when he finds her hanging, he has his
> face pushed down into his own shit, and he repents.
>
> As for Franz, his whole story is one of coming to grips with his own
> depravity.
>
> David Morris
>
> On 11/8/06, Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> > On Nov 7, 2006, at 4:28 PM, Carvill John wrote:
> >
> > > Wonder why the discussion about Slothrop & Bianca never got off the
> > > ground? I know there has been discussion on that subject before,
> > > and there is that article explaining that BIanca is (maybe) not as
> > > young as she seems, but to me the key question is - why does
> > > Pynchon put that stuff in his books? Why have a scene like that
> > > between Slothrop and Bianca, or the imagined incest on the boat
> > > between Franz and what may or may not be his daughter?
> > >
> > The most obvious answer would be that the passages are allegorical.
> > It would be very  boring to expend a lot of verbiage describing how
> > nations of Europe have continued to trick, lie to, and pillage each
> > other,  but a steamy scene of  unlawful sexual temptation, desire and
> > ravishment may implant the idea at a subconscious level..
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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