Critical Analysis of "The Crying of Lot 49"
Critical Analysis of "The Crying of Lot 49"
In the 1960s the American society faced many difficulties and important, sometimes, tragic events, such as Vietnam War, usage of the drugs, especially by youth, problems of communication in the society etc. Exactly these problems are vividly described in the novel “The Crying of Lot 49” written by Thomas Pynchon. Many people consider this book to be the best work from those written by the author. There is also the opposite side of readers who do not think like that. However, no one can argue that the book “The Crying of Lot 49” is very deep in its meaning, has a lot of humor and at the same time instructive moments throughout the whole book that makes a reader look deeper into his or her own inner world. The author depicts the American society with its bad and good sides of reality. The book “The Crying of Lot 49” mainly tells about cultural chaos and communication as it is seen through the eyes of a young woman who is surrounded by mystic events, strange people in a hallucinogenic world (Newman, Robert D., “Understanding Thomas Pynchon”, p.86).
Thomas Pynchon shows different levels of society, such as college students, hippies, rich people, medical workers, poor people etc. It is really very difficult to unite all these people and events happening with them into one single novel, however, the author did it very well. Thomas Pynchon did not leave without attention any parts of the society and human inner world. He expressed all hidden parts of the human soul and mind while facing difficult events in life, what people think at that moment, how they react, in which way hidden, still unknown features of their personality are explored. The author treats this world as the chaotic one where there are no stable values, friends or opinions. The main hero of this novel Oedipa Maas faces herself in the network of strange events, which she cannot totally control. Oedipa has a husband, lives in a good house and has a good job. She is a very typical figure of the 20th century, living at the center of chaotic life and trying to put all things "in order" or at least make sense of the world in which she must live (Hite, Molly. “Ideas of Order in the Novels of Thomas Pynchon”, pp.68-70). Her life...