Takeshi

[Tore Rye Andersen]

>>c) if he was 18 in 1945, then by 1984 he would be 57

>Isn't that a bit too old? Takeshi Fumimoto's age isn't ever mentioned,
>as far as I'm aware, but I never get the impression he's nearing 60.
>He's never described as fat, unlike his counterpart in GR. He's compared
>to Robert Redford, born in 1936 or 1937. He got married during the
>sixties. And as far as his "interesting work with airplanes" and DL's
>ironical remark about suicide being his former lifestyle is concerned:
>DL doesn't believe many things Takeshi claims to have been or have done
>-- why should we?

Why shouldn't we? Surely the name+the references to his supposed kamikaze 
work are meant to let us at least consider the possibility that they're the 
same character. The argument that the VL Takeshi isn't fat doesn't really 
stand up to closer scrutiny, does it? A lot of things can happy in 20 or 40 
years and a lot of pounds can be gained or lost. (Is the Marlon Brando of 
'The Score' not the same guy as the Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One'?).
I agree that there are not many similarities between GR's wacky Komical 
Kamikaze and VL's lean karmic adjustor - heck, they may not even exist on 
the same ontological level (GR's Takeshi may only be a character in a TV 
show, remember?). However, through that same logic it could be argued that 
the Pig Bodine of V. and the Pig Bodine of GR are not the same person. The 
GR Bodine is basically a decent, kind guy - one of the few heroes in GR, in 
fact - whereas the Bodine of V. is an unsympathetic slob. Whatever happened 
to Bodine between WWII and 1956? Why has he grown MORE immature? Where is 
his kindness? Still, noone would argue that they're not in fact the same 
character.
As for the two Takeshis, it is clear that Pynchon wants us to at least think 
of the possibility that they're the same character, and I have heard no 
convincing arguments to the contrary.