Takeshi Re: ATD--How Does it Fit

[Tore Rye Andersen]

>When characters from one Pynchon novel reappear in another, it is
>usually pretty obvious it's the same person -- see Kurt Mondaugen,
>Wendell Maas etc.. But what do Takeshi, the Komical Kamikaze, and
>Takeshi Fumimoto from "Vineland" have in common, except their first name
>and the fact that they are both Japanese?

>- Michael

On p. 175 of Vineland DL says to Takeshi:

"I keep forgetting, suicide used to be your old lifestyle."
She was referring to what he had a way of calling his "interesting work with 
airplanes" during World War II. (VL, 175)

So in addition to having the same name as the character in GR, Takeshi 
Fumimoto was also a kamikaze pilot during World War II. The evidence begins 
to pile up, ne? If Pynchon DIDN'T want us to make the connection it seems 
strange indeed that he should also include the information about Takeshi 
being a former kamikaze pilot. That information is really pretty unnessecary 
in the context of Vineland alone, and it can only be seen as a nod back to 
GR.
The case is not so clear as e.g. the recurrence of Pig Bodine, Weissmann, 
Bloody Chiclitz, or Mucho Maas, but it seems clear that Pynchon on some 
level(s) wants us to make the connection. The name+the kamikaze stuff must 
be seen as "a bit of redundancy so that the message would not be lost" (GR, 
322) and in light of the information above it's kinda hard to argue that 
Takeshi in GR and Takeshi in Vineland is NOT the same character.

/Tore