on Grace and Beyond in IV

[Mark Kohut]

Robin responds:
"Again, there seems to always be some Christian subtext to Pynchon's occult meanderings. Grace is something that one cannot "Will" into creation, in order to work one must let go of any expectation of reward for "good behavior." Doc puts up with folks just dumping their whole friggin' life story on him, often during first meetings. But being a sympathetic and usually present ear absorbs and mutates some of this bad mojo. While Doc has some hope of getting new leads for his cases, when it really works it works like Coy and Crocker Fenway, "Beyond,"one might say."

Lew B. realizes the meaning of grace after he survives the dynamite explosion. He realizes it is the acceptance of things as they are.

Here in IV, Sortilege, a good person with some "occult' beliefs, articulatesa version of the same meaning: that Larry should just accept that almost everyone dumps their 'things as they are' life onto him. 

For the plisters who do not believe in P's embrace of any occultism, I offer (for your argument. I sided with duality, but not visible here) the line about Sortilege finding new meanings for the word "Beyond" immediately following. I think P is offering no "beyond' here, just another
embodiment of the necessity of accepting life and life only.