GR translation: but all in the distracted style of the period

[Mike Jing]

V544.40-545.7, P554.7-15   “Is there room here for the dead?” He hears the
question before he can see her asking it. He isn’t sure how she came into
this room. From all the others now flow impressions of male jealousy, a
gruff sort of women-on-ships-is-bad-luck chill and withdrawal. And here’s
Pirate left alone with her and her question. He holds out to her the ball
of taffy he’s been carrying, boobish as young Porky Pig holding out the
anarchist’s ticking bomb to him. But there’s to be no sweetness. They are
here instead to trade some pain and a few truths, but all in the distracted
style of the period:

What does "distracted" mean here?
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20170720/bee5cf1d/attachment.html>