In Thomas Pynchon’s novel The Crying of Lot 49 (TCL49), the author uses the multiplicity of language, in the form of words with conflicting definitions, conflicting connotations and puns, to construct multiple, often times conflicting meanings. The effect of these puns and words with conflicting meanings serve to connect the audience with Oedipa in the way that both are bombarded with information. On page 100 of the novel Oedipa, wandering for clues about the Trystero by taking on a voyeuristic role, encounters a plethora of “waste” associated characters. The connection between the reader and Oedipa surfaces again in the voyeuristic connotations associated not only with Oedipa, but also the act of reading. As readers, we are playing the voyeur to Oedipa and, in turn, all of the characters she encounters. This, in effect, serves to connect the audience with not only Oedipa, but also with these WASTE associated characters. The significance being that if we are associated with WASTE, then aren’t we also outcasts. Pynchon’s portrayal of the characters in this passage, on a broad level, focuses on imagery of searching in darkness throu

Another possible interpretation of this “ritual” could imply that this act of miscarriage is some form of religious experience. Through making the act ritualistic, this Negro woman is taking the person out of the act of miscarriage. The act itself seems to be more significant than what is lost. The implication of this is that the product is not necessarily what is important, going back to the idea previously present of a child being a product of conception, but it is the act of stopping this production that is important.

The mention of age seems to also contrast the watchman from the child in terms of experience. With age comes experience and this watchman seems to have an ability to tolerate the things that the others cannot. His “virtuoso” stomach accepts symbols of purification such as soap and air-fresheners. The usage of the word “accept” seems especially important in that it not only means to receive willingly but also to regard as proper, normal, or inevitable. Inevitability and normality seems to imply a means of thinking similar to those figures before the watchman, yet the watchman stand out in that this figure seems to be trying to find a way to glean all that is possible out of this normality instead of simply withdrawing from it.

However, the mention of community as “the dear lulling blankness of the community” seems to imply that the child is, like the welder, happy with being away from the normality of society. This blank, devoid of covering or content, and lulling, to cause to relax vigilance, community seems to be a threat to this child’s search. This, however, could either be a search with a purpose or a random wandering. Again, multiplicity is revealed in the duality of meaning of words. If the child is searching for something purposefully, that seems to imply that there is meaning out in the world to be found. If the child is instead randomly wandering, the conclusion can be drawn that there is nothing out there to be found. It seems less that coincidental that at the end of the novel Pynchon leaves us roaming for an answer towards the question of the Trystero.

The second character described is that of “A child roaming the night who missed the death before birth as certain outcasts do the dear lulling blankness of the community.”

Some topics in this essay:
WASTE Trystero, Ivory Soap…”, Trystero Significance, Oedipa WASTE, Civil Rights, Thomas Pynchon’s, negro woman, Carlisle ENGL, night watchman, roaming night, San Francisco, child roaming, normality society, death birth, lulling blankness, page 100, playing voyeur, Game Crying, outcast normality society, conflicting meanings, welder able free, lulling blankness community”, welder facially deformed, connect audience oedipa,