ATD: Cyprian's departure

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

          bandwraith:
          I got the feeling that Pynchon no longer felt compelled 
          to "climb the tree" in ATD. He found the resources to 
          write the way he feels, unconcerned with critical 
          reception, and actually enjoy it.

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          Jesse brought home as an assignment from school 
          "write an essay on What It Means To Be An American." 

          "Oboy, oboy." Reef had that look on his face, the same 
          look his own father used to get just before heading off 
          for some dynamite-related activities. "Let's see that 
          pencil a minute." 

          "Already done." What Jesse had ended up writing was, 

          It means do what they tell you and take what they give 
          you and don't go on strike or their soldiers will shoot 
          you down. 

          "That's what they call the 'topic sentence'?" 

          "That's the whole thing." 

          "Oh." 

          AtD, pg. 1076