Line in Vineland on "Unspeakable"

[Mark Kohut]

I agree too for what it’s worth but with overtones.
“Return of the repressed” is one I mentioned.

On Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 3:13 PM Mike Weaver via Pynchon-l <
pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:

> Hi Mack,
> Given DL and Takeshi's no sex deal, your surmise rings true, unspeakable
> because evasive action is the only way for them to keep going, to talk
> about the issue would likely erode the deal. I wouldn't call it a joke,
> more a skit, just a good humoured take on a tension in their relationship.
>
> No need to over intellectualise it - it's just a couple of kids trying
> to get by.
>
> cheers
> Mike
>
> On 20/01/2026 17:04, mack devon wrote:
> > Page 174 I've been stuck on for a little while. The book normally stays
> > pretty literal with its depictions, oftentimes getting a bit tricky with
> > what to take as metaphor or not. This is my 2nd read-through, I must not
> > have thought too much of this my first time around. Anyways, around early
> > page 174, after the Thanatoid introduction and DL & Takeshi explore
> > their village, a paragraph pops up that I'm still confused with.
> >
> > With a little context:
> >
> > *"Yep, one foolish mistake, now I'm payin' it off for the rest of my
> life."*
> >
> > *"Only for the rest of mine, angel!" as up out of a calm and sunny ocean
> > the killer sub Unspeakable briefly poked its periscope, eyeballed their
> > vessel, ascertained that it was not the Love Boat, and withdrew. But they
> > were learning, together, slowly, how to take evasive action, and at the
> > moment it was down through an austere maze of Shade Creek alleyways and
> > vacant lots for an extended breakfast and another day's business.*
> >
> >
> > Now, I've got a couple guesses as to this Unspeakable passage, as I'm
> > almost certain it's not meant to be taken literally (unless in reference
> to
> > the men after Takeshi currently spying...but that's way off it seems.)
> > There's a very likely chance this is not in reference to an actual Killer
> > Sub on the prowl.
> >
> >
> > 1. Could this be a classic Pynchon erection joke meant to reference
> > Takeshi's lust towards DL being unfulfilled due to her lack of desire &
> her
> > contract? The Unspeakable being The Unspeakable Erection, poking out, and
> > withdrawing when not encountering a Love Boat. I feel like there might be
> > some old-school slang for Unspeakable/unmentionable wrt a penis, but I'm
> > too young to know. (This is the most likely option to me.)
> >
> > 2. Could this be just a strange reference to Thanatoids spying on the
> duo,
> > noticing that they aren't in love, but rather that they're truly
> partners?
> > (Very unlikely, just made up to not have to 100% align myself with
> Erection
> > Theory.)
> >
> >
> > This is my first post here, I wanted to discuss this topic as I haven't
> > seen these lines discussed anywhere, I hope I formatted this well enough.
> > --
> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>