ATDDTA(10):

[Henry]

>From "The Big Leboski" script, whose main character, also named Lebowski, is called by himself and his friends as "The Dude."  A-and there is even some dialog concerning whether it is a marmot or a weasel (or a stoat?  [Sloat?])

The room is dark now except for spill from the living room; 
               the men are backlit shapes.

               One of them holds a string at the other end of which a small 
               animal skitters excitedly about the floor.

               The Dude looks curiously at the small, nattering animal.

                                     DUDE
                         Nice marmot.

               The man with the string scoops up the marmot and tosses it, 
               screaming, into the bathtub.

               The Dude screams.

               The marmot splashes frantically, biting at the Dude in a 
               frenzy of fearful aggression.

                                     FIRST MAN
                         Vee vant zat money, Lebowski.

               The Dude, screaming, grabs the lip of the tub and starts to 
               hoist himself up but the first man lays a palm on top of his 
               head and squishes him back into the water.

                                     SECOND MAN
                         You think veer kidding und making 
                         mit de funny stuff?

                                     THIRD MAN
                         Vee could do things you only dreamed 
                         of, Lebowski.

                                     SECOND MAN
                         Ja, vee could really do it, Lebowski.  
                         Vee belief in nossing.

               He scoops the marmot out of the water.  It shakes itself 
               off, spraying the Dude.

                                     DUDE
                         Jesus!

                                     DIETER
                         Vee belief in nossing, Lebowski!  
                         NOSSING!!

               The marmot, back on the floor, is skittering around, shaking 
               itself and convulsing in little sneezes.

                                     DUDE
                         Jesus Christ!

                                     FIRST MAN
                         Tomorrow vee come back und cut off 
                         your chonson.

Henry M
http://www.urdomain.us/kcuf.htm 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf Of kelber at mindspring.com
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 12:19 PM
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: Re: ATDDTA(10):

The idea of an eagle dropping a marmot on the roof, shaking things up, seems to make the most sense.  It recalls Robert Graves', "I, Claudius."  In his account, when the future Emperor Claudius was a child, and presumed to be virtually retarded, an eagle dropped a half-eaten wolf-pup into his arms.  It was prophesied that the damged wolf-pup was Rome and that Claudius would grow up to protect it.

So the marmot dropped by an eagle could be a prophesy of sorts for Sloat.  He's frightened enough that he spills his soup.  Soon after, afraid, he leaves, eventually to be killed.

As to your Beavis and Butthead parallels, that seems head on.  Good catch!

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Keith <keithsz at mac.com>

>(3) Something hits the roof hard enough to splash the soup right out  
>of Sloat's bowl. He uses this as evidence that his belief in the bad  
>luck of bathing is not crazy.
>
>What hit the roof so hard, and from whence cometh it?
>
>(4) Lake's response is: "Goodness, it's a marmot."
>
>What is the "it" to which Lake refers?
>
>(a) Was it a marmot that hit the roof? If so, we have some explaining  
>to do, because marmots are burrowing animals not known to climb trees  
>or find themselves airborne. Oddly enough, in the 5th century B.C.,  
>they were miners of sorts, as their burrowing was known to dig up  
>gold in the Himalayas. Herodotus thought they were 'gold-digging  
>ants.'* They are prey for the eagle, however, and in some folk tales,  
>captured marmots are known to be dropped from some altitude into the  
>eagle's nest.** So, one possibility is that the bang on the roof was  
>a dropped marmot. But, marmots aren't really big enough to shake soup  
>are they? If so, perhaps it would fit with the 'As above, so below'  
>motif.

>
>
>