atdtda:31 pgs 887-888 Reef's dream

[Bekah]

On pages 887 and 888 Reef's father comes to him in a dream:

887.24  which  takes place in an unknown city - "not Venice, no place  
American"

***

887.26   "with an unmappable operational endlessless to its streets,  
the same ancient disquieting pictures engraved on its walls as back  
in the McElmo,  spelling out a story whose pitiless truths couldn't  
be admitted officially by the authorities here because of the danger  
to the public sanity.."

*  "endlessless"  =  should be endlessness?

*  so "unmappable endlessness"    - typical Pynchon since M&D ?  and  
imo,  a part of a larger theme - in M&D it was mapping the  
unmappable,  in AtD it's getting away from the mappable.

* What is the "operational"  about?

*  Back in the McElmo there were ancient Anasazi pictures on the  
walls..."   (pg 214)  - now he's dreaming about them

* What he's dreaming about is from ancient times and has to do with  
some even older secret truths.


****************
887.23 - .33  ".. it was darker out here than he had any idea of.  In  
the distance Reef caught sight of a procession of miners in their  
long rubber coats, only one of them, about halfway along, with the  
candle stub in his hat lit."

A light, however dim and with short future life,  against the  
incredible darkness.   And ...

"Like postulants in habits, they proceeded single file down a narrow  
street like a humid drift lit back or front by a yellow lamp. As Reef  
came closer he saw the bearer of the light was Webb."

the union struggle has become almost like a religion?

* and a "yellow" lamp.   The lamp is yellow - not just the light.

****************
  877.34   "Small victories," Webb greeted him. "Just to come away  
with one or two. To praise and to honor the small victories where and  
however they happen."

"Hasn't been too many of them lately, Pa,"  Reef tried to say.

"Not talking about yours, you numbskull."

***    Well,  what "small victories" is Webb praising then?
Okay - with small being beautiful but relative:

Lots of individuals were speaking, writing and organizing
Luxemburg
  Goldman
Bakunin
Haywood
Debs

Some national uprisings
Albania
Mexico
Russia

Organizations were growing
IWW - (International Workers of the World) - Wobblies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World_tactics

France and Sweden had  new and powerful worker-oriented anarcho- 
syndicalist  groups at this time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism

In 1907, the International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam gathered  
delegates from 14 different countries, among which important figures  
of the anarchist movement, including Errico Malatesta, Pierre  
Monatte, Luigi Fabbri, Benoît Broutchoux, Emma Goldman, Rudolf  
Rocker, Christiaan Cornelissen, etc. Various themes were treated  
during the Congress, in particular concerning the organisation of the  
anarchist movement, popular education issues, the general strike or  
antimilitarism. A central debate concerned the relation between  
anarchism and syndicalism (or trade unionism).


Some more local strikes and actions
1909 - NY Shirtwaist Strike (I think Jill mentioned this)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_shirtwaist_strike_of_1909

1910  General Strike in Philadelphia
http://tinyurl.com/5uju4o

1910  Chicago Garment Workers strike
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/events_chicago_strike.html  (a bit  
late, maybe)

Basically see:   Labor history of the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_history_of_the_United_States

many trade unions organized (New York Times- 1910)
http://tinyurl.com/52r2ln

LA Times is bombed by Trade Unionists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_McNamara_Brothers

(page break)


888.1   In the dream,  Reef  understands that Webb is trying to pass  
a message to him and that this message will enable him to get back on  
track. Trouble is,  when he wakes up he can't remember why it was  
important.

*****
Dream analysis:  Reef "knows" that  in chasing around in the casino  
life of Europe now with Yashmeen and with Cyprian he has dropped the  
ball,  lost his light, abandoned his heritage and mission.  He is  
being called to task by Webb this time,  but he is so enmeshed in his  
life  he can't get back on the path.  He's reminded of his "back- 
sliding" back on page 660 and elsewhere.

Also,  it seems as though the message this time is a bit different -  
rather than being called back to avenge his father's death,  he's  
kind of told by his father that there are more important things to  
do,  like look after his own revolutionary,  anarchist light into the  
darkness.


Bekah

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