Webb Traverse

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

         Laura Kelber:
         The death of Webb Traverse is THE central episode 
         in the book.  Every review (I think) mentions it.  Any 
         attempt to describe what ATD is about (not in terms 
         of themes, but in terms of what happens in the book) 
         would have to mention the life and death of Webb 
         Traverse.  He's the closest thing to Slothrop the book 
         has:  appearing in spirit, if not actually on the page, 
         throughout the book. 

One of the odd things about making Webb such an interesting, "rounded" 
character, is that the net result is a bit like Hitchcock's "Psycho", where the 
ostensible protagonist is offed after two reels. It leaves a gaping hole in the 
story, one that demands to be filled.

         Laura:
         On p. 187, TRP writes of the Kiselguhr Kid (who may, 
         of course, be Webb Traverse):

Again, let's take the author at his word. Imagine, if only for a moment, that 
Webb Traverse is the Kiselguhr Kid, that what went down the baroom is 
exactly what went down, that it was Webb who blew up Lou. There's some 
really weird karmic exchange going on here, as Webb's act of blowing Lew 
Baslight up ends up blowing Lew into the welcoming arms of Neville and 
Nigel from T.W.I.T. and Webb into the arms of Deuce and Sloat from 
(ultimately) the Vibes. 

         Laura:
         "...sometimes it was like he was out there, a spirit 
         hovering just over the nearest ridgeline, the 
         embodiment of a past obligation that would not let him 
         [Lew] go but continued to haunt, to insist."

         This could be a description of Webb's effect on his 
         children.

It's also a description of Webb's effect  upon Lew, even moreso than on
Webb's children.

         Laura:
         What I wonder is, did TRP mean Webb's death to be so 
         central to the story, or did it become that because of the 
         laconic, reader-friendly writing style of the Western 
         episodes?  Any thoughts on this, anyone?

The first time I read Against the Day, I bombed through it as a pressed reviewer 
would, except as a "Psychical Detective"---Much like Lew or Oedipa---I would tag
lines with multicolored colored post-its to track different varieties of spoor. 

In the first reading, the Death of Webb registered as the central event in the 
book. In the second reading, Kit's journey registers as the primary vein of 
Gold,  In this third---and considerably slower---reading, Lew's story is 
emerging as the most interesting and revelatory story thread, with arrows 
pointing to threads from Gravity's Rainbow, the threads I found most interesting 
in what is, so far, generally regarded as Pynchon's best novel.

Purple is the color for the Spiritual and the Occult, and the section near Lew's 
blast and subsequent recovery are covered in purple post-its. I would go so far 
as to say that we are given some clue as to Webb's magical intent when we 
are introduced to him. Perhaps that has some bearing on the direction that Lew 
was thrown into. Or maybe it was the Cyclomite, Nicholas Nookshaft would 
doubtless say both were responsible, along with Lew's superb reflexes and 
keen thought processes.