Summary Of The Crying Of Lot 49

The value of participating in life, and society is particularly important and plays a major role in one’s health, and mental state. The two novels from our class display a clear image of the pain and agony you feel after being rejected, and looked upon differently. Stephen Chbosky’s, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, we witness how characters in both novels try to participate in life, and just want to be accepted like everybody else. However, they all encountered problems as the society refuses to accept them for who they are. They are either picked on or completely disowned and forced to stay away from civilization, and as a result, their mental state begins to decline, which leads to consequences. These consequences

Today’s society has been formed to follow a strict set of expectations and requirements. Anna Quindlen is a supporter of individuality and finding one’s self. In her speech, Quindlen uses the appeal of ethos, tone, and rhetoric devices to effectively persuade her audience to set aside the society’s expectations in a fight to become your own person. Within her speech, Quindlen uses the appeal of ethos in order to gain a sense of trust and credibility with her audience. Quindlen makes a point to mention her time working at New York Times and as a full-time novelist and how she, herself, faced the judgement of society when she decided to quit to be a mother.

Throughout life, one faces with many experiences, and how one deals with those experiences shapes one’s life. Laurie Channer’s “Las Mantillas” and Margaret Atwood’s “It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers” share the same theme of action versus inaction however, they define it from opposing perspectives. Action and inaction are complete opposites thus leading to completely different results. Whether taking action or remaining passive, strong feelings occur that can impact one’s life. Distance is also a huge factor in whether a person takes action or not, which is explored in both texts. While Channer’s “Las Mantillas” emphasizes the positive impact taking action has on an individual and society and Atwood’s “It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers” critiques the effects of inactivity, both agree that when faced with injustice it is vital to take action for one’s beliefs.

It is the future, and society has been ruined. The word “I” has been erased from society; the only replacement being the word “we”. Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem explores the effects of a horrific, totalitarian society. Children are separated from their parents at birth, careers are assigned, not chosen, and free will is the ultimate crime. Living within this structure, Equality 7-2521 finds himself lost in contradiction; collectivity should lead to happiness, but for him, individuality seems to be the key. Through vivid setting, a provoking major character, and symbolic details, Ayn Rand’s writing is focused on one thing: to show “the meaning of man’s ego.”

Annie Dillard’s “This is the Life”, an addition to the publication of “A Journal of Art and Religion”, Dillard persuades the readers to ponder the purpose of their lives. Dillard provokes self-contemplation through asking and repeating rhetorical questions and phrases, illusions that support her point, and an inspirational didactic tone.

Throughout life, one is faced with many experiences, and how one deals with those experience shapes one’s life. Laurie Channer’s Las Mantillas and Margaret Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers share the same theme of action versus inaction, however they define it from opposing perspectives. Action and inaction are complete opposites thus leading to completely different results. Whether taking action or remaining passive, strong feelings occur that can impact one’s life. Distance is also a huge factor in whether a person takes action or not, which is explored in both texts. While Channer’s Las Mantillas emphasizes the positive impact taking action has on an individual and society and Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers critiques the effects of inactivity, both agree that when faced with injustice it is vital to take action for one’s beliefs.

▪ Psychological or Psychoanalytical Criticism – a leading tradition in psychological criticism is the Freudian’s. According to its followers, the meaning of a work of literature depends on the psyche and even on the neuroses of the author. Ray Bradbury wrote this short story in a very old age. And the significance of this story is also view from the point of view of the old person’s being aware of all the new technologies of the world. People shouldn’t live in their shells; they should go ahead together with the progress. Ray Bradbury, being in his late years understood and took the progress in a right way and probably wanted to show that people shouldn’t stop in their development.

     For as long as I could read comprehensively, I have always believed that great writing centered around well written stories that would both provide a certain measure of unaffected pleasure, as well as challenge the readers perception of the world at large; both within and outside of the sphere of its prose. Thomas Pynchons' The Crying of Lot 49 encompasses both of those requirements; by enfolding his readers, through a variety of means, within the intricate workings of his narrative. It centers around would be heroine Oedipa Maas, a practical but somewhat restless woman, who's life is turned upside down when she discovers that she has been made executor of the estate of old

Among those writers was S.E. Hinton, who’s realistic fiction novel, “The Outsiders,” seized the truth of the 1950’s. Demonstrating my effects drove the plot as the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, grappled the harsh reality of being apart from both society and his own gang (shmoop.com). Hinton strived to prove how greasers of the time suffered the agony of my existence. Cold, punitive, and desperate were the lives they lived, as outsiders exiled from society. Despite the odds and my attendance in the novel’s theme, the characters conquered the situation and weren’t weakened by pain, but used it to grow and learn. Most victims fall to weakness in bleak moments, but the survivors and fighters utilize the experience to their advantage, to grow stronger. Defeat is common while I am present, but a route of escape from the dark can be discovered by real people with the aid that literature

Conveying the selfishness of man through her writings, Shirley Jackson displays her consciousness within “The Lottery” and shows how society can influence the conscious at developmental stages and leading examples through a psychoanalytic lens.

First published in 1965, The Crying of Lot 49 is the second novel by American author Thomas Pynchon. The novel follows Oedipa Mass, a young Californian housewife, after she unexpectedly finds herself named the executrix of the estate of Californian real estate mogul, and ex-boyfriend, Pierce Inverarity. In reflecting on their history together, Oedipa recalls how her travels with Pierce helped her acknowledge, but not overcome, the poignant feeling that she was being held paralyzed and isolated from the world (and others) within a staid, middle-class existence by some invisible and nefarious external force. Moreover Oedipa struggles to understand why Pierce would name her the executor of his will considering her deep ignorance of finance,

No one appears exempt from the harsh realities offered by the ambiguity of human identity; people seem to search incessantly for meaning and purpose in their lives. Reflecting upon the vast array of material explored this semester; I realized how frequently literature, films, and

Postmodern literature depicts the degradation of human psyche and the struggle of the man to find his identity after destruction that the World War II caused to the humanity. The war ruined the human values and every human being had lost the sense of moral and immoral. Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot belong to the postmodern literary category that showcase in the most comic and tragic way the pessimistic vision of humanity struggling vainly to find a purpose in their existence. Vladimir and Estragon, Ben and Gus are the hopeless and anxious victims of the war who are controlled from unknown authorities. In this context, the ability to communicate with each other, to take decisions for themselves and to

Individuals must now confront the meaning of their lives without the assured aid of transcendent purpose and direction, while the daily effort to make "both ends meet" condemns most to a life of "repetition," a la Kierkegaard, under the rule of habit and social conformity. The more we struggle to achieve individuality, the more desperate the effort to liberate ourself from the sway of social conformity and ritual, and the more poignant our inevitable confrontation with death.

Experiences encompassed in times of struggle can lead to a new transformative perspective of one’s relationship with self and the world. William Shakespeare’s last play “The Tempest” (1610), canvasses loss catalysing rediscovering the importance of life resulting in a greater understanding of how our flaws compromise our humanity. Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan, shows this to be true, moving from a mindset focused on vengeance to a profound discovery of self. Similarly, in “Man’s Search for Meaning” (1946), fulfillment with discovering how we choose to cope and find meaning/purpose in life through unrelenting struggle is illustrated. The three-part non-fiction told by psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl, depicts his ordeal inside of concentration camps during the Second World War, elaborating on finding true meaning in life even under the most horrific circumstances. Frankl shares his process of discovery demonstrating his ability to overcome the most overwhelming experience leading to doorway of meaning, purpose and happiness.