Inherent Vice: Groucho Marx & Mickey Wolfmann

[David Morris]

I agree with your Groucho quote connection.  I think the quote is an
humorous example of an absurdity inherent in attitudes of exclusivity,
which of course relates directly to prejudice against any class or
race.  Regarding Jews (and Groucho in particular), it communicates a
sly reverse-predjudice against those portraying themselves as
superior, one of Groucho's biggest shticks.

The fact that Mickey DOES want to be included in a club that would
have him killed just expresses how completely pathetic he is.  I don't
think it needs to go much deeper than that.

David Morris


On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 5:50 AM, Kai Frederik Lorentzen
<lorentzen at hotmail.de> wrote:
> Since Pynchon refers to Groucho Marx more than just once or twice in his
> novels, the following text passage found my special interest:
>
> "Groucho's famous remark ('I don't want to belong to any club that will
> accept people like me as a member') is a direct comment on ethnic
> assimilation, which is refused to accept at the same time by
> the comment itself. It's the paradox of the Jewish refugees who were
> confronted with the challenge to throw their historical individuality into
> the American melting-pot in order to survive."
>
> (Philip Cohen: Gefährliche Erbschaften: Studien zur Entstehung einer
> multirassistischen Kultur in Großbritannien, pp. 81-144, here 82; in: Annita
> Kalpaka/Nora Räthzel (eds.): Die Schwierigkeit, nicht rassistisch zu sein;
> 2., überarbeitete Auflage. Leer 1990: Mundo; the back-translation is my
> own.)
>
> What has this to do with Mickey Wolfmann? Now, he's introduced as
> "technically Jewish but wants to be a Nazi" (IV, p. 7). And this - don't you
> agree? - is directly related to Groucho's paradox. Mickey Wolfmann solves
> the paradox for himself by wanting to belong to a club that would never
> accept him as a member! He's resisting assimilation to the US-American
> mainstream also by getting "exercised often to the point of violence at
> those who forget to spell his name with two n's" (ebd.). His correctly
> spelled name could indicate a German-Jewish ethno-cultural background. Same
> for Mickey's connection to the "Westside Hochdeutsch mafia" (ebd.). Not
> quite sure what to make of all this.
>
> Thoughts, anyone?
>
> Kai
>
>