M&D Ch 20. p.202 Force majeure: Derivatives & Ambiguities

[Jerome Park]

"Force Majeure", like "Inherent Vice", is a legal, often a maritime law
term that Pynchon enjoys sprinkling about his books with all puns and
ambiguities, intended and unintended. in play.

 The force majeure clause is employed by Mr. Dixon and Mr Mason after the
"Interdiction at Sea" (47).

"interdiction" is a fine example, of a legal and military term that invites
ambiguities

In the claim afte the clash at sea, the clause has no force and  is easily
countered by the RS, not on the facts, or on what is right, or who is right
and who is wrong, but by force of contract and force of inflexible power of
a powerful entity over its subordinated workers. Time, as lawyers say, is
of the essence. Mason and his Partner  are on a schedule and must keep it
to honor the contract. . In this case, Time, the common currency of
Science,  is on the RS's side because the time option has an expiration
date and the premium in the option is a multiple of the days to expiration.

Though Pynchon uses the term several more times in M&D, and in other works,
the deliberate ambiguity in its use is most apparent when we juxtapose the
use on 47 with the use here on 202. Here, the force is Mason's then recent
Grief, now, those who Represent his sons claim, has not the force it had
when they agreed to take the lads two years back. In this case, Time is
against Mason again, but the time option is reversed, so the longer he
stays away from his boys, the less his Grief is worth. Now he must pay with
something other than his Grief, his force majeure option is expired.
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