The Crying of Lot 49 - Third Chapter

The third chapter of The Crying of Lot 49 is very complex and includes many important things. First of all it introduces "The Tristero" through a play called The Courier's Tragedy, and I believe this will be of a lot more importance further on in the novel. I also found some more patterns that are continuously used throughout the book such as the use of strange names, in this case, Mike Fallopian. Curiously, I also found a few connections with Slaughterhouse - Five.

The main topic covered in this chapter is that of the play The Courier's Tragedy. There are many connections between this play and the lives of the characters in The Crying of Lot 49. First of all, the relationship mentioned the most, is the fact both plots dug up bones from the bottom of a lake. This coincidence led Oedipa to find out more about the play at the end of the chapter when she went to talk to the director. This small talk led to the importance of the word tristero. From that moment on, Oedipa connected everything in her life to The Tristero. Another similarity between both plots was the use and mentioning of a mail system. The Thurn and Taxis' conspiracy is strictly connected to the sue Manny Di Presso established against Pierce  Inveraity. It also resembles the mail system Pierce owns. When Pynchon talked about The Courier's Tragedy, he explained absolutely everything and included all the small details. Once again the author is using exaggeration.

Another point that stood out to me in this part of the novel, was Manny Di Presso's description of the battle in Lago di Pieta during World War II. Even though this battle didn't really occur, I believe Pynchon might've invented it  based on a different, similar situation. "For weeks, a handful of American troops, cut off and without communications, huddled on the narrow shore of the clear and tranquil lake while from the cliffs that tilted vertiginously over the beach Germans hit them day and night with plunging, enfilading fire." (pg. 46)

This is what led me to find a couple of small connections between The Crying of Lot 49 and Slaughterhouse - Five. First of all, both authors mentioned World War II (obviously Vonnegut's novel is completely based on this war, and Pynchon barely mentions it). Another similarity is that of the use of the word latrine. Even though latrine is not a very common word, both authors used it in their novels. "On the latrine wall, among lipsticked obsceneties, she noticed the following message..." (Pynchon pg. 38) "Billy was approaching, without knowing it, the back of the latrine." (Vonnegut, pg. 124)

Vocabulary:

Vertiginously: Causing vertigo by being extremely high or steep. (pg. 46)

Divan: A long low sofa without a back or arms, typically placed against a wall. (pg. 51)

Interim: The intervening time. (p. 53)

Livery: Special uniform worn by a servant or official. Or, a special design and color scheme used on products of a particular company. (p. 55)

KCUF: The call sign of the radio system in The Crying of Lot 49. (p. 63)