Chapter Four in The Crying of Lot 49: Connections, Answers and Questions

The fourth part of Pynchon's novel is short but very important for the rest of the book. It answers some of the questions brought up before, but leaves new ones to look for afterwards. This makes it the most interesting chapter so far. The novel is progressing to a point where I've changed my view towards it and its theme. Before this chapter I thought the book was slow, and not very interesting. I didn't even know what the main theme really was! After reading this chapter I think it is a lot more interesting and I'm a little more settled. I believe this novel's main theme is Oedipa's investigation to find out the meaning of the WASTE symbol, the Tristero, the mailing system, and something deeper in Pierce's will.

In this chapter we found out that the WASTE symbol is very similar to the 'post horn', the Thurn and Taxis symbol. From what Cohen said in this chapter the WASTE symbol might've been created to silence the Thurn and Taxis symbol. "There it was again, her WASTE symbol, showing up black, a little right of center. 'What is this?' she asked, wondering how much time had gone by. 'I'm not sure,' Cohen said. 'That's why I've referred it, and the others, to the Committee." (p. 77) The very curious fact about the WASTE symbol is that everybody avoids talking about it. Every time Oedipa goes on an investigation wanting to find out about the symbol, she never gets an answer. Why is it that many people know a lot about this, but never talk about it? This mystery is why I believe there is something deeper en Pierce's will. I think this is the reason why Pierce chose her, Oedipa, not a lawyer or a trusted friend, to execute his will. 

I concur with Mariana, which on her blog said she believed Oedipa is so desperate to get information on anything that will lead her investigation further that she is far - fetching information. For example when she is pondering about the murder in the lagoons. The site said: "The only other clue was a cross, traced by one of the victims in the dust." (p. 71) Oedipa tried linking this small cross with the tristero: "A cross? Or the initial T? The same stuttered by Niccolo in The Courier's Tragedy." (p. 71) She is so hopeless about find answers she is thinking a cross can be a T, and that T stands for tristero, not any other word in the english dictionary starting with a T.