Not Drugs The Anatomy of Melville's Melancholy (Thoreau:

[Paul Mackin]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joseph Tracy" <brook7 at sover.net>
To: "pynchon -l" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 11:04 PM
Subject: Re: Not Drugs The Anatomy of Melville's Melancholy (Thoreau:


>
> On Nov 16, 2009, at 10:12 PM, alice wellintown wrote:
>
>> What does Denis do that matters?
>> Does he do anything in this work that causes us to think or  question or 
>> feel?
>> Or is he just a comic character set next to Larry/Doc to cast shadows
>> and hear conversations?
>> He reminds us of Homer's pal, Barney.
>
> There are a lot of people in IV and in real life who do a lot of  damage. 
> Denis is a loyal friend to at least one good person, a person  moving from 
> money as the measure of life to karma, a person who is  the only clear 
> agent of justice in this story. There is something to  be said for doing 
> no harm, for being there when a friend is freaking  out to ask if you are 
> okay. Most of us have competent friends like  Tito and Fritz and less 
> competent friends like Denis. I like him  being there, and the comic 
> relief doesn't bother me at all.
>
> "Yeah man" Denis put in," but we're in a Mercedes, and it's only  painted 
> one color, beige- don't we get points for that?"
>
>
>
>
I think Alice is asking, what does Denis do for the book (not for society)

And yes I think Joseph is correct.  There can be something to be said for 
doing nothing (harmful).

Hippies after all are on strike from participating in a society they 
disapprove of and would find unpleasant even abhorrent to cooperate with.

Maybe Denis is the ideal.

I can feel myself in him, but people like us aren't the stuff of great 
fiction. (this is a general fault I find with the book despite Pynchon's 
undisguisable talent)

P