IVIV20: Gateway to the past, 351-352

[Richard Fiero]

Joseph Tracy wrote:
>. . .
>A)Doc smokes dope and that interrupts the narrative connections and
>makes some observations  iffy, confused, abstracted.
>         So is this :1) escapism, 2)a filter that reminds us of the
>distortions and pleasures of a time and place , 2a) a filter that
>obscures and makes the core narrative unreliable 2b) a filter that
>adds color and  relevant distortions but still allows the core
>narrative to be seen  3) proof that Pynchon has smoked every kind of
>cannibis known to man  4) A device Doc uses for his own psychological
>needs( closure, escape,  social navigation)?

None of the above.
In my opinion, IV's author is just using dope as a vehicle to cross 
boundaries. Note that the fog erases some arbitrary boundaries -- 
national borders and race for two such. Alice has suggested that 
doper's paranoia encourages the perception of connectedness.