Thoughts after Reading “The Crying of Lot 49″ by Thomas Pynchon

 

Thomas Pynchon’s 1966 novel “The Crying of Lot 49” is a curious piece of literature that attempts to deconstruct American society as it existed in the mid-to-late 1960s. Doing so in a rather humorous and esoteric way, the book excels at making the reader’s experience in discovering the narrative match the experience of the protagonist as she searches for meaning and purpose in her life. The reader is sucked into a mysterious journey that may not even have any real purpose while forcing them to reckon with the contradictions of the modern world. It accomplishes this mostly by using its plot to look at gender roles, sexuality, the idea of reality being affected by the projections of media, television, films, and books, and the erosion of strongly held values.

The story gets moving when protagonist Oedipa Maas’ changing lifestyle comes as a result of the untimely death of Pierce Inverarity, a former lover who made her executor of his large estate. Her less than idyllic life as the housewife of Wendell “Mucho” Maas, a used-car salesman turned disc jockey, comes to an end as she journeys to the fictional California town of San Narciso to execute the will. The plot comes to be centered on a mysterious muted horn symbol that Oedipa begins to notice around California as her travels continue. Research tells her that the horn represents an underground postal service known as “Trystero.”

It’s interesting to consider the literary allusion Pynchon makes to the fairy tale heroine Rapunzel through Oedipa. He makes the argument that, from the vantage point of her “tower,” Oedipa’s character can never be “saved.” The reality presented in place of fairy-tale romance forces Oedipa and the reader to realize that love may not necessarily “conquer all,” or even have any meaning in the first place. As alluded to at the end of Chapter Two, if Rapunzel’s hair is only a wig, then what’s the point of playing such a role in the first place? How can happiness be sought or found in that context if one somehow inherently knows that it is nothing more than a mere illusion (“The tower is everywhere and the knight of deliverance is no proof against its magic”)? Is Oedipa trapped in the world of men, doomed to carry out their bidding in some form or another until her dying day, or has the acquisition of the Inverarity estate given her autonomy and the potential for self-discovery?

“Free love” becomes just as mundane and routine as “romance,” due in part to changes in gender dynamics and what some thinkers call the “masculinization” of women. For instance, there is a sequence where Oedipa visits the University of California at Berkeley, her old alma mater. The student body has now fully embraced the social upheaval that is synonymous with the decade of the 1960s. This makes us strongly consider what Pynchon must have meant when a character makes mention of “lib, overeducated broads with soft heads and bleeding hearts.”   Oedipa seems to seek happiness or some kind of emotional buffering through her sexuality in its raw, unrefined form, as shown in the narrative. In comparison to popular opinion before the dawn of the 20^th century’s sexual revolution (this book would have been published at the dawn of the countercultural movement), the sexual liaisons portrayed in the novel are almost meaningless. In an era of “free love,” Oedipa commits marital infidelity with her new lawyer friend Metzger (who used to be an actor), and her husband is too absent from her life to fully know, understand, or even care. Miles, an adolescent wannabe Beatle who sings in a band called “The Paranoids,” also tries to seduce Oedipa, but with no success.

Miles the would-be Beatle is only one of the many allusions to popular media and classic literature throughout the novel. A deeper meaning pertaining to the symbol of the horn is initially implied through a play called “The Courier’s Tragedy,” which seems to parody Shakespeare as well as the Jacobean revenge plays of the Western canon.  Metzger’s reference to the then-popular television program Perry Mason are interesting in that the late Raymond Burr was an actor who played a lawyer, while Metzger is a former actor who became a lawyer in real life.  This contrast is portrayed in such a way that that, as a reader, I asked myself if one is any more “real” than the other.

Actor Raymond Burr as Perry Mason

 

Social commentary like this seems to be why this book has made its way into the so-called intellectual canon, due to its contribution towards an understanding of postwar America as it truly existed. Readers can even get a sense of the implications of Cold War paranoia and the clash of ideologies with the idea that “industrial capitalism and Marxism are both part of the same horror (page 37).” In a different passage, the battle hymn that is sung in honor of the fictional company Yoyodyne hints at the implications of worshipping corporate culture and stock market value over more “noble” creations of the human spirit. The story ends abruptly with no real answers for Oedipa or the reader; and I think that this was intentional. With this novel, Pynchon seemed to be attempting to capture the aimlessness, absurdity, and angst of postwar American life. Fear of “the bomb” and the onset of a convergent, media-driven popular culture must have created a sense of comfortable numbness and familiar despair as the 1960s rolled on, and America was continuing to change the way it saw things like gender, race, and sexual ethics. These questions and their answers may seem quaint or even passé to contemporary readers like myself, but I don’t think that makes the book any less relevant or dynamic.

Contemporary “Heroes”

The new Superman is a “hero” for our times: dark, moody, and full of angst. The Internet is still awash with blog posts and movie reviews that detail the controversy behind the ending of this year’s new Superman movie, Man of Steel. Apparently, Superman defeats his enemy, the renegade Kryptonian General Zod (played by Michael Shannon this time around, and by Terence Stamp in 1980’s Superman II), by snapping his neck. Many longtime fans of the characters and franchise have stressed that Superman would not resort to murder in order to defeat his enemies, and that this treatment of him as a character, along with the movie’s overwhelming amount of visually-driven action sequences, have detracted from what makes him great in the comic books, television adaptations, various animated cartoons, and the film series starring Christopher Reeve.

This has caused me to look more closely at the most recent treatments of our beloved comic book heroes as seen on screen. Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man is an awkward hipster who seems a bit less shy and a lot more angsty than Tobey Maguire’s version. Batman as portrayed in the Christopher Nolan films is a deeply disturbed man who lives in a cage made of his own anger and despair, yet still tries to help others with his heroic actions. The Iron Man of Marvel’s cinematic universe, despite his higher moral aspirations, definitely qualifies as a true narcissist.

So—anger, narcissism, a questionable kind of morality—these are the traits of our heroes that are used to make them more relatable to us. However, I have started to wonder—how much can we “humanize” comic book heroes on film before they just aren’t “heroes” anymore? How long will it be before they are portrayed to be just as “good”—or “bad”—as we are?

As for the people who are supposed to be our real life “heroes”—people like the American president, Barack Obama, who has recently been scrutinized for scandals that have come to light under his administration (like the Benghazi controversy, Edward Snowden’s revelation that the NSA has been keeping tabs on Americans and their activities without their knowledge, or the IRS scandal involving conservative groups), it seems that they are always in the public eye in a way that emphasizes their moral and professional shortcomings.

As someone who has been an avid reader of comic books since the days of his early childhood, and as a reader who regularly enjoys learning about the great leaders of American history like Frederick Douglass or President John F. Kennedy, it troubles me that, as I get older, the “heroes” I see around me are starting to look more like villains. It is often said that the heroes of a culture in the context of a given time period reflect the values possessed by that culture. Maybe our “heroes” are jaded because we are jaded. Those who would stand above us as examples of desirable conduct and behavior may act only slightly “better” than we would in a given situation.

Still, heroes aren’t there to tell us what we are—but rather, what we might be. It stands to reason, then, that for those of us whose decisions aren’t as publicly scrutinized as, say, President Obama, there are still choices to make concerning the way in which we will live. We could be as jaded and Machiavellian as our “heroes,” be they real or imaginary–or we could choose to be our own heroes, making decisions that fit a higher morality by our own volition and for our own personal reasons. As I mature and become steadily more aware of the corruption and contradiction that is so native to human behavior, specifically in the context of American culture and the government that spearheads it, my greatest fear is losing that higher part of myself to the maelstrom of adversity that has defeated so many before me.

My greatest hope, however, is that I will be able to create something positive with the actions of my life that will help those around me to see that they can be “heroes” for themselves, if for no one else.

No One’s Sold Me on Sony

So, like many people, I watched the PlayStation 4 reveal at E3 this weekend, and, to be quite honest, I wasn’t really enthused about it after all was said and done, despite the fact that I’ve been something of a Sony fanboy since playing Ape Escape on the PS1 in the late 1990s. Even the relatively low price tag of $399 didn’t enthuse me.

This may come as a surprise, given the fact that many gaming sites and bloggers have already expressed sentiments that Sony is setting itself up to be the next great console contender, especially with the recent negative reactions to Microsoft’s Xbox One (both in terms of its high price tag and its questionable features). Despite having certain exclusives (like the sequel to Bayonetta), the WiiU doesn’t seem all that interesting or threatening either.

Still, I found it interesting that every PS4 game will be available as a download as well as in the form of physical media, and independent developers will also have their own section within the new version of the PlayStation Store. I noticed that a big topic of discussion from the clips at E3 was consumer ownership of the titles they download. Unlike Microsoft’s questionable policy toward used games, Sony says there will be “no restrictions” on pre-owned PS4 games.

When I viewed the user interface screen for the PS4, I really didn’t see much about it that struck me as new or exciting. It should come as no surprise that Sony is seeking to make their next console more conducive to social interaction, albeit in a more accessible way than Microsoft’s Xbox One. With the blue default screen and the capability to track friends’ progress and trophy winnings in real time (players can even type comments), I almost felt as though I was looking at Facebook instead of a video game console.

As for the games themselves, there just doesn’t seem to be much more to achieve in terms of graphics and game mechanics, which is why we are now seeing a resurgence of “retro” style game development using today’s technology to replicate the simplicity of the games of older generations. Something about all of it just seemed unreal to me. The games didn’t seem to matter as much as the format they were played in and how many people were watching. To me, this marks a paradigm shift that has taken place in the way we consume media today.

For example, back when I had Netflix, there was a new option that had just been introduced that allowed my Facebook friends to see my Netflix viewings and viewing habits in real time. This was shortly before I chose to get rid of both my Netflix service and, soon after that, I deleted my Facebook. If I had chosen this option of sharing my data, I wonder how my friends would have reacted to my viewing habits? Would they have thought I was weird if they knew about the documentaries I watch or the cartoons I enjoy?

Thinking about all of these things would take away from the enjoyment that comes with viewing media. We all act differently when we know others are watching us. I enjoy playing video games from time to time, but social interaction seems be increasingly forced into gamers’ experiences. It’s like the games or gaming companies are playing us as much as we, the consumers, are supposed to be playing the games themselves.

 

Final ICOM 101 Post (REDUX): My Five Favorite Posts

Throughout this “Introduction to Digital Media” class, I have read a great many interesting articles and watched a lot of informative videos about the state of social media, the future of the internet, and issues concerning information ethics and privacy. Here are five of my favorites:

“Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined”

-Had more traffic than any other “big” social media site as of Jan. 2012.

-Has a wide variety of users from different backgrounds

-Pinterest even beat out Twitter in terms of referral traffic.

As someone who finds himself sharing far more images online than text, it is interesting to observe the trends created by sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr. Though I am more of an avid user of Tumblr, I can admire Pinterest for its interface and user-friendliness.

“When You’re Only Text Friends“

-Discusses how technology has changed the way we make (and keep) our friends

-Showcases the phenomenon of people who ignore us in real life after talking candidly with us over the Internet

-Certain aspects of our social lives have completely disappeared forever, thanks to the Internet.

I think this trend illustrates something that I myself have noticed on my own college campus. It is evident that we should choose our friends wisely, whether we meet them by digital or “real” means. In a culture that overemphasizes the particular brand of narcissism that is so prevalent among Americans in general, it is imperative for us to learn to deal with  this aspect of ourselves.

“The Fakebook Generation”

-Facebook began as a trend among undergraduate students at Harvard, but has since spread to people of high school age and younger.

-It illustrates a desire to view the events of other people’s lives as a sort of ongoing narrative.

-We are more afraid to talk to each other in real life than we are of sharing large amounts of information about ourselves with total strangers.

I have said before that Facebook is a sort of mirror through which we view ourselves and the people we care about (and even those we don’t care as much about). Since it came into prominence over a very short time, during which some of its users actually “grew up” with the site, it has either directly or indirectly caused the tendency for us to aggrandize ourselves online while willfully ignoring the feelings and thoughts of those around us whose ideas and thoughts do not match up with our own. This has also extended to our physical interactions within the real world, which has fundamentally altered the way our friendships function.

“Good to Know (Google’s Privacy Policy)”

-An interactive interface separates the rules and regulations by topic.

-Relevant tips for filtering through search results and managing data are included.

-As expected, there are tips for enhancing one’s online safety.

I use Google just about every day, and I am writing this through the use of Google’s browser, Chrome. Millions of people allow Google and its information-gathering capabilities onto their computers every day, which makes this information all the more pertinent.

“When Making a Game Is a Game in Itself” (CNN)

-Chronicles a money-raising campaign for a video game called “Double Fine Adventure”

-The game raised over $1 million within days, thanks to online donors.

-The development of the game was chronicled for the public to see.

I’m not much of an online gamer, but some of the people I know are into the hobby. It was interesting to see a behind-the-scenes look at what happens during a Kickstarter campaign, especially since I’m considering starting one for the graphic novel script I have been writing.

I’ve Got Issues With “Social Issues”

As a young African-American male, I often hear talk about “social justice” and what it means to stand up for the oppressed.

The thing is that everyone seems “oppressed” these days. White people are becoming the new “minority.”

It is difficult to define where white guilt ends and reverse racism begins, as shown in this satirical image.

Despite the election of President Obama to the highest office in the land, there is still racism against blacks.

Since the latter part of the 20th century, the place of women in society has also been hotly debated, and the current cultural climate allows them to do more than their mothers or grandmothers could have dreamed.

This iconic piece of World War II propaganda captured the zeitgeist of a movement that would later become prominent in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.

This is even causing some men to consider themselves “masculists,” or men’s rights advocates in response to the ideas of radical feminist ideologues such as Valerie Solanas. There are so many oppressed groups and subgroups today that it is getting progressively harder to even begin to keep track of them all, as this web comic illustrates:

Here, my protagonist, Ellison Wright, begins a debate with a young woman that will continue though other installments of the strip.

I also plan to touch on the aforementioned issues with race and ethnicity in ways that will hopefully prove to to be provocative and interesting, as shown in this strip:

Francesca Greene and Indigo Brown are part of the same feminist club, but racial tension between them adds a new layer of depth (and humor) to their relationship.

My ultimate goal through this web comic, found at http://existentiaacademica.tumblr.com,  is to spark questions in my potential readers about these issues, forcing them to form their own opinions, rather than blindly believing everything the media or their sociology or gender studies textbooks tell them.  On a more personal level, as an artist, I hope to create an edifying work that can inspire a purer altruism and less antagonistic and dogmatic brand of humanist thought in those who are willing to follow my proposed maze to the end.

What Follows is Hopefully a Bookend To More Interesting Future Posts (final blog for ICOM 101)

The digital world is fast becoming as vast and varied as the “real” one. Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are the new “mirrors” through which we view ourselves.  We willfully share information with strangers we cannot see, while we now hesitate to open ourselves to the people right in front of us.

Still, if there is one thing that I have learned over the past several weeks, it’s that these developments don’t always point to a dystopian future or some kind of negative consequence. As shown by the recent developments within the Middle East and North Africa, applications like Twitter don’t have to simply be used for idle chatter about unimportant things. A tweet or a status update now actually has the power to change the course of history.

Social media serves today not only as a record of what foods we ate, which friends we spent time with, or the fun things we did, but it is also a means of tracking how we feel, what we want, and where we are headed as a society.

I have especially noticed in my browsing of Tumblr that certain posts reflect the emotional state of the posters. There is a rising trend called OTP, which refers to “one true pairing.” Using this hashtag, Tumblr users post a picture of their favorite couple from a movie, book, or television program. This has a relaxing effect and, according to some users, makes them feel better about their own love lives. Seeing this has influenced me to create a piece of “fan” artwork featuring Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files, though I haven’t yet colored it in Photoshop:

Shifting focus now to Twitter, a recent study has also shown that users tend to congregate within it based on their emotional states.  It has also been reported recently that the minds behind Google are working towards making the site more conducive and user-specific. We may soon see the birth of a sophisticated new kind of system of analytics that can catalog and “know” us as well as a human being can, based on not only our search habits, but also the psychological motivation and reasoning behind those search habits. Such a development would only be a natural result of present trends in technology, and a precursor to even more radically powerful methods of interactivity, which is likely to culminate in the successful creation of AI and the arrival of what futurists call “the Singularity.”

In the meantime, it seems we’re walking a rather uncertain path. The new types of cognition brought on by our young Net culture have shown us that we have the ability to be anyone we choose to be in a world and universe that we have full control over, even though it is intangible. Applying this same mentality to “real” life will either bring humanity out of its self-imposed darkness or plunge it deeper into the abyss, causing us to ultimately self-destruct. Whatever ultimately happens, the work now no longer pertains to finding a way to connect all of us. Instead we must explore and understand the ethical, political, and cultural ramifications of this micro-macro world we have constructed, as well as re-examine the true value of freedom, privacy, and autonomy.

Buying and Selling, Showing and Telling (About Ourselves)

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. However, many people are choosing to do their shopping over the Internet with the use of websites like Amazon, Overstock,  and niche sites like RightStuf. Both “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” promotions last for up to a week online, depending on the site(s) one visits. How shoppers think has subtly changed with the introduction of the possibilities created by online “stores.” The Internet, as with everything else, has successfully personalized the idea of shopping, and it is easier than ever to spend money we don’t have on things that we really don’t need that may seem important at the time.

Online shopping has become a form of entertainment–and it’s entirely possible that, in the future, “all-in-one” devices like the futuristic Xbox proposed by Microsoft will provide all of our media as well as doing all of our shopping for us, insulating us in very comfortable caves, away from the outside world and its adversity. This year, total online sales topped $1.5 billion–a new record. Spending money online requires the highest security, which is why services like PayPal are so important.

However, hackers managed to muck up PayPal’s program a few days ago. “Robots” that infiltrate message boards and chat rooms where hackers are known to congregate offer some help with this problem, but as the availability of not only technology, but also the means and knowledge with which one can exploit it, increases, so also will the number of hackers and the level of vigilance it will take to keep them at bay.

Hackers aren’t the only ones vying for our information–companies and corporations are as well. Every time I buy something on Amazon, I receive an e-mail that suggests something similar for me to buy next. Despite this attempt to personalize everything to make “everyone” feel special, I can’t shake the idea that no one really is in the context of this trend. The bottom line is that companies like Amazon are simply vying for the money and shopping habit analytics of any party that stands to gain from what they have to offer. The rampant commercialism so synonymous with the holiday season has seeped into every facet of our lives during all 365 days of the year.