VL-IV: Chap 10 - Altitudes

[Josiah Miller]

"...deals were made high overhead in legal offices that weren't always legal, sharing these altitudes with city falcons who hunted pigeons in the booming prisms of sun and shadow below."  (p. 192)

Man vs. nature is a big part of Pynchon's works. In this beautiful passage, I feel that we are looking at how cities because of "booming" businesses are invading nature.  The natural habitat of the birds - being that they are born to fly - vs. the unnatural movement of the humans skyward.  Buildings keep getting taller, especially look at some of the new architecture in Dubai and China.  To conserve space on "Our" earth we build things higher.  It would be impossible to fit all the space that high rises and buildings house as far as office spaces and people that work and live if all buildings were built with 1 or 2 stories and are more wide than they are tall.  Not only do we chop down trees and forests, but we are invading the space of the preying falcon upon the pigeon.  Also, the illegal business transactions especially nowadays with fools like Madoff sit in their high tower, closer to heaven while they prey on us down here in the shadows, closer to
 Earth. 

Just some thoughts to get me started.  I'll be back after band practice tonight!!!  See ya'll then and take care.

Josiah