IVIV Hope Harlingen: a wacky theory (possible spoilers)

[Mark Kohut]

Laura's post here led me to a darker possible resonance to the Amethyst
meaning. Crystal, what an amethyst is comprised of, is almost always a negative in TRPs symbology. In my 'sentimental' reading, I would argue
that sometimes a crystal is just what many 60s folk thought was a kind of charm.

Now, this occurs: After the time of this book, as Amethyst grows older, crystal meth became a new addiction in America. All hope gone, all non-intoxication over---if she and her family cannot stay clean. 

There is no foreshadowing hint that I can remember in IV that TRP suggests this, just another layer of bad shit meaning if, if, if..............

--- On Thu, 9/10/09, kelber at mindspring.com <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:

> From: kelber at mindspring.com <kelber at mindspring.com>
> Subject: Re: IVIV Hope Harlingen: a wacky theory (possible spoilers)
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Date: Thursday, September 10, 2009, 4:14 PM
> For anyone who's seen the AMC show
> Breaking Bad (about a high school chem teacher who
> manufactures crystal meth as a side-line), the discussion of
> the Hope-Amethyst story is reminiscent of an episode from
> that show called "Peekaboo":  
> 
> http://www.amctv.com/originals/breakingbad/season-two-episode-6
> 
> For anyone who's looking to procrastinate, here's the
> edited summary:
> 
> Jesse stands alone on a sidewalk, examining a large beetle
> as it wanders the pavement. Skinny Pete approaches and gives
> Jesse the name and address of the junkie that robbed him.
> 
> "Let me get this straight," Jesse says. "You got jacked by
> a man named Spooge." Pete doesn't know the name of Spooge's
> accomplice ("she's just his woman," he says), but he tells
> Jesse that these two "need to get got."
> 
> Outside the junkies' ramshackle house, Jesse draws his
> pistol and tries to psych himself up. Spooge and his woman
> aren't around, so Jesse breaks a window and enters the dank
> living room littered with garbage, ripped-up furniture and
> dirty laundry.
> 
> Waiting on the couch, Jesse is joined by an unbathed,
> half-dressed five-year-old boy. Turning on the television to
> a home shopping channel — the only station it gets — the
> child sits on the other end of the couch. "I'm hungry," he
> tells Jesse.
> 
> ***
> 
> Back at the junkies' place, Jesse plays peekaboo with the
> little boy while he eats. The two addicts — grimy,
> bloodied, and arguing with each other — finally return
> home. Jesse carries the boy into a bedroom, then attacks the
> couple, bashing Spooge's head with the gun.
> 
> 
> Jesse gets the junkies to hand over a little of his stolen
> crystal, but no cash. Just as he threatens to shoot their
> kneecaps, the boy walks into the living room. Spooge's woman
> embraces her son, making it impossible for Jesse to do
> anything while he's in the room. "We got your money, man,"
> Spooge says, but it's inside an ATM they boosted from a
> convenience store.
> 
> Spooge claims the ATM heist was a "victimless crime" that
> "went smooth as silk." In fact, it resulted in a dead
> cashier and a baggie of Walt and Jesse's meth left at the
> scene.
> 
> Spooge pounds away at the ATM with a sledgehammer to no
> avail, calling his woman a "skank" when she challenges his
> competence. Jesse notices the kid is missing, and takes the
> opportunity to chastise her: "How about you feed the kid a
> decent meal every now and then, huh?" Jesse says. "Give him
> a bath. Put some baby powder on him."
> 
> ***
> 
> Back at the junkies' house, the boy encourages Jesse to
> play peekaboo again. Jesse relents, and while his eyes are
> covered Spooge's woman knocks him out. When Jesse comes to,
> his gun is in her hands. "Call me a bad mother. I'll show
> you a bad mother, bitch," the woman says while Spooge rifles
> through Jesse's pockets.
> 
> ***
> 
> Back at the house, Spooge has leaned the ATM against a
> chair and positioned himself underneath it to drill into its
> base. While drilling, he gets into a fight with his woman
> over their drugs and calls her a skank. "I ain’t no
> skank," she whispers, pushing the ATM upright and crushing
> Spooge's head. She grabs some dope off his body, crosses the
> room, and passes out on the couch. Jesse retrieves his gun
> from Spooge's body and begins wiping his fingerprints off
> the ATM. As he does, its door swings open and cash spills
> out.
> 
> Jesse grabs a wad of cash and calls 911. Telling the boy to
> close his eyes like they're playing peekaboo, Jesse carries
> him outside past Spooge's body. "Just don’t go back
> inside," he tells the boy.
> 
> "You have a good rest of your life, kid," Jesse adds,
> slipping away while the sound of approaching sirens grows
> louder.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
> 
> >Kids like TV, but they do still seem to occasionally
> >prefer the homegrown, hand-rolled story,
> >
> >so while there may be all kinds of external
> >values to be gleaned and rapped about from the mere
> mention of coffee and TV...
> >
> >...within the local function of the scene, hey, Doc
> isn't telling a story, he's
> >going for the truth, hmmm?  And his place in the
> creche is self-defined as one
> >of the shepherds or Wise Men, not Joseph...or, the type
> business he is on
> >(worst case scenario) he might even be mistaken for one
> of Herod's people...
> >she's called on his services because he walks among
> that type of person anyway
> >
> 
> 
> 
>