Atdtda22: Ultra-modern, 623-626

[Paul Nightingale]

Kit wakens to a vision that might recall Foley Walker’s “telltale fatality
for the garish” (619); it might also be a continuation of the Mickifest, of
course, not to mention the work of a German “Arturo Naunt, ... shocking the
bourgeoisie ...” etc (612). However, if ‘wakening’ serves as a break between
‘before’ and ‘after’, we should not expect the assertion of some kind of
metatextual authority here. The authority figure is Dr Dingkopf himself; and
his description of some kind of ‘Jewish conspiracy’ is an attempt to offer
an all-embracing overview, albeit one that is easily discredited. The
suggestion that Kit himself is Jewish is another reminder of Colfax
complaining, on 318, of Kit’s anti-social tendencies. On two separate
occasions since his visit to the two banks, then, we have been reminded of
his time as a Vibe hireling.

Dingkopf links immigration and anarchism (“the millions into your own
country they are now streaming”, 624); and his outburst (“... how naïve do
Americans have to be, not to see the danger?”) is encouraged by the presence
of an American who doesn’t know where he is, currently. The presence of
others is indicated (“somebody piped up”) but they are given no identity.
Again, towards the end of the section: “... somebody cried out” (626).

Between those two moments Kit is introduced to life in the Kolonie, some
kind of commentary provided by “someone in a guard’s uniform, whom Kit, in
his innocence, assumed was a guard” (625). Here, then, he expects a match
between signifier and signified, even though his initial experience of
Dingkopf’s “ultra-modern tie” (624) had, or should have, alerted him to the
way meaning is problematised. Aychrome had it in Ch42: “I’m not one for
modern poetry, but I know codes when I see them ...” (607). Here, Kit is
unaware of the existence of codes, whereas Dingdopf of course sees
everything as a coded reference, eg: “Dr ... David Hilbert, you will note”
(625).