The Crying of Lot 49 Chapter 5 Analysis

There was a significant transition with respect to Oedipa in chapter 5; Pynchon really showed the tables turning on her. Prior to her being named executrix, Oedipa was portrayed as carefree and easygoing. Although it was only a small part of the first page that describes her prior actions, it says, “One summer afternoon Mrs. Oedipa Maas came home from a Tupper-ware party whose hostess had put perhaps too much kirsch in the fondue…” Even in this one sentence, the fact that it is summertime, she is at a tupper-ware party, and there was alcohol in the fondue gives the reader the perception that Oedipa is likely is a housewife that does not have a lot to worry about.

In the progression of the novel, through a series of actions such as having an affair with Metzger, leaving her home, and just in general being irresponsible, Oedipa is portrayed as acting without giving thought to consequence. It is in Chapter 5, however, that Oedipa begins to see a more serious side of life. It is in this chapter that she is really presented with the issue of decrypting the muted post horn and the play, her husband has gotten into heavy drug use, and her doctor has also gone crazy. She has never really been confronted with these types of problems before and Pynchon uses these series of events to develop her into a more dynamic character.

I also thought it was interesting how the references to drugs and altered mental states continued. When you are on drugs, things are not as they appear and Pynchon uses drugs in this novel to introduce the contrast of appearance vs. reality. For Oedipa, life is not always as it seems, as the reader learns from the progression of the novel. One of the questions that the reader continues to have at the end of the fifth chapter is what was Pierce’s true motive in leaving Oedipa as the executrix of his estate? I find their dynamic to be very interesting because most men in her life don’t seem to have a lot of respect for her… “As with Mucho when she’s left Kinneret, Metzger did not seem desperate at her going.” However, even if Pierce had left the estate for her to sort because he thought she needed to grow up and he knew it would be a difficult job, it still shows that he saw a deeper side of her and believed that she had greater capabilities that she often demonstrated.

The Crying of Lot 49 Chapter 1 Commentary

Right off the bat, this chapter had some very interesting actions and descriptions. When Oedipa first learns that she has been named the "executrix" of Pierce Inverarity's estate, Pynchon launches into a description of her response..."Oedipa stood in the living room, stared at by the greenish dead eye of the TV tube, spoke the name of God, tried to feel as drunk as possible. But this did not work." I think Pynchon is creating a bridge of shared features with the reader through this description because it is very relatable. Although the reader does not yet know what kind of relationship the pair shared, they are able to imagine themselves in a similar situation, and the responses they have when something shocks them. It took me a few times of reading the first page to really understand the background, but once I was able to I found it to be interesting. The imagery of the "greenish dead eye of the TV tube" alludes to a darker, mysterious side of their relationship and leaves the reader wondering how Pierce died and why he left his estate to the trust of Oedipa. As the chapter continues on, some of these questions are answered, but additional questions are also formed. I began to question the dynamic of Oedipa and Mucho, and how the estate might affect their relationship. There is an interesting contrast brought up between Pierce and Mucho in relation to their social status. While Pierce had a good deal of money, he died early and he lost Oedipa. Mucho, on the other hand, does not have a great job but he is still alive and is married (although his wife does seem to have connections with other men). In addition, there is a large focus on altered mental states, through references to drugs and alcohol which I am interested to see if it will continue throughout the rest of the plot.

The Glass Menagerie Analysis Part 2

It was during the second half of the play that the symbolism of Laura’s glass menagerie began to really come together. I think that Williams intended the glass menagerie to symbolize life. Glass is very breakable, and like life, you can try to keep it safe and perfect but sometimes things happen that are out of your control. Laura keeps her collection pristine, as she does her own life. She plays it safe, is very shy, reserved, and remains to herself and within the confines of the apartment. Jim, however, has a different relationship with life. He was the one that by dancing broke a piece of the glass menagerie. He also is the one to break the mold socially; he is outgoing, and seeks to take advantage of all that he can in life. Even though he is still stuck on the “glory days” of high school, he is working on making progress. He pursues a better career through taking public speaking classes. He also pursues the girl he loves. It is an interesting contrast between the two males in the story, and for that matter, there is also a contrast between the two females. As I said, Jim knows what he wants out of life, and he goes after what he wants. Tom, on the other hand, does not know what he wants out of his life and instead, he simply tries to escape his own reality by going on adventures and to the “movies.” As for the women of the play, Amanda knows what she wants out of life. Like Jim, she is the social butterfly, and knows the ways of the world. She knows how to put on a show and how to entertain. Laura, on the other hand, is more closely related to Tom. She does not know what she wants from her life other than her glass collection and her infatuation with Jim. Even though all of the characters in the play have hard lives due to the aftermath of the Great Depression, Laura is the most sympathetic character. Not only was she born slightly crippled and very shy, but during the play, she is teased by getting a glimpse of how happy she would be with Jim and then having it taken away from her in an instant. The characters in the play have an interesting dynamic and the ending leaves the reader to think about how the lives of each of the characters continue.

The Glass Menagerie Comparison

In reading The Glass Menagerie, for some reason I kept drawing parallels to Pride and Prejudice. The mother in Pride and Prejudice and Amanda are similar in that they both want what is best for their children, but they do it in a pushy way that does not make the children happy. I remember the mother in Pride and Prejudice had five daughters and she had made it her mission to see them married in a timely manner. Likewise, Amanda also set her heart on seeing Laura married. In both stories, the mothers trample on their daughters’ feelings a little bit by being so obsessive. Tom reminds me of Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice because they are the more rational characters that get frustrated and see through the motives of their mothers. Laura reminds me of Mary in Pride and Prejudice because they are both a little socially awkward and their mothers worry that they will not get married. It is easy to, as a reader in 2011, to look at these mothers and think about how ridiculous they are acting. However, when you stop and consider the time period and the social and economic pressures, it is easier to understand their behavior. While I do think the two mothers are frustrating characters, during that time period, women were not as immersed in the workforce and without marriage, it was hard for them to make it on their own. Especially in The Glass Menagerie, the family was very poor and Tom even payed the rent so I could see why the mother was so obstinate about seeing Laura married.

"The Flowers" Analysis

“The Flowers,” by Alice Walker, is set during Reconstruction in the south, after the emancipation of slaves. Although during the first paragraph, the reader may question whether or not Myop is a slave because of her tending to the animals and harvesting crops, it is not until the second paragraph that Walker shows the reader the setting of the story and Myop’s background. Walker describes, “the stick clutched in her dark brown hand,” and “the rusty boards of her family’s sharecropper cabin.” Even though Myop is working hard and is still very poor, I would describe the tone of this story as jovial. Myop seems content with her chores; Walker says, “The harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts and squash, made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws.”

There is a transition in tone in the fifth paragraph. While earlier on in the story, there had been imagery of sun and familiarity; there is a sudden shift in tone, as Walker describes the woods, “It seemed gloomy in the little cove in which she found herself. The air was damp, the silence close and deep.” During the first half of the story, Myop had been content with her life of chores and living with her family in a rusty sharecroppers cabin. She was thankful to not be a slave and had an optimistic outlook. However, after she discovers the body of the dead man in the woods, her optimistic outlook is challenged.

Through this transition, Walker shows the reader that even though Myop and her family are not slaves, they still have hard times to face. Walker ends the story with describing the noose hanging from the tree above and saying “Myop laid down her flowers. And the summer was over.” Walker uses this final line as foreshadowing of the challenges that Myop and thousands of children raised during this time would face, and how it would be hard for their optimism to last.

"In a Station of the Metro" Analysis

In a Station of the Metro (Ezra Pound)

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

1) What is a "Metro"? Where is the Metro that Pound describes?

A "Metro" is an underground train. Metro trains are often in large cities, such as New York City and Washington D.C. They have a lot of stops and are an inexpensive way to navigate these cities.

2) What feelings does the poem communicate? Which words and/or phrases contribute to these feelings?

The poem communicates feelings of loneliness and fatigue. I say loneliness because when Pound refers to the crowd in the Metro station, he does not include himself. He says, "these faces." He puts himself in the position of an outsider looking in, even though he is also a part of the crowd. I think that the poem also communicates feelings of fatigue because of the second line, "petals on a wet, black bough." I am not sure exactly what he means by this line, but I am guessing that the "wet, black bough" is the city and the "petals" are the people.