Chapter 3 pg 32-33

[J K Van Nort]

Michael posed:



“Things then did not delay in turning curious”


A) twice again, the word “revelation”


B) the narrator floats the idea that The Tristero is a system of thought which may supplant the idea of Rapunzel’s Tower for Oedipa.



In the Tarot deck, the Tower is card XVI, preceded by the Devil. It is associated with sudden, disruptive revelation and catastrophe as well as higher learning/knowledge. The card has the tower often topped with a crown, which symbolizes “materialistic thought being bought cheap” according to the wikipedia entry.


I also think of the tower of Babel and the efforts to reach the heavens/find God/achieve higher knowledge being destroyed by confusion and loss of communication.


If Tristero replaces the Tower, then it is a form of communication that may be lost or meaningless (Fallopians letter) despite attempting to achieve higher knowledge. 


The Tower card also represents escape and liberation (Rapunzel).




Does this also hint at her relationship with Metzger, bought cheap?




In solidarity,




James


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone