The Crying Of Lot 49 Essay

The first reason Oedipus is given the tragic hero title is due to him being determined to improve the lives of his citizens as well as his own in the process. Oedipus wants to bring this city out of ruin and have it prosper like it should. Not only does Oedipus want to help others, but he is willing to bring closure to some infamous cases that have plagued his world such as the killing of Laius, and his adopted father. In the play, Oedipus personally takes it upon himself to send out a messenger to the oracle of Delphi in order to find more information about Laius’ killer. He also goes out of his way to find out about what happened to his adopted father. Even if Oedipus is in denial about what happened that fateful night, he is still willing to face the consequences if he came up as Laius’ killer.

Oedipus’ character speaks the truth, acts openly, and is concerned with honor, but he did not have the gift of fortune. He acts rash and takes swift action that had consequences on his fate. Oedipus acted swiftly in finding Laios’ killer and more evidence led to himself, even though his wife told him to stop investigating his past. In today’s society it is tough to see any one worthy of being labeled “High-Minded”. People care more of what others see in them, than truth itself. Oedipus fought to find the truth of his past, though he knew there could be dire consequences. His honest approach proceeds to make him fit more high-minded qualities than most people would in today’s

On the other hand, divine communication can be seen in a whole new way in the story of Oedipus the King. The story begins with a terrible plague that has infected Thebes, the city that Oedipus has power over. This leads the reader to discover the first depiction of divine intervention. Oedipus sends his brother Creon to the Delphi Oracle to find out how to save the city. Oedipus finds out that the plague will end when the murderer of Laius, former king of Thebes, is caught and expelled and that the murderer is within the city. This news that the oracle presents to Oedipus is not good new, it instead is news that brings confusion and anger to the city. Although it helps them figure out what they need to do it effectively cause the people of Thebes to become scared as a murderer is wondering about them. Oedipus is the king that he is sent for the Tiresias, the blind prophet, and asks him what he knows about the murder. Tiresias

Oedipus, on the other hand, is not so content with the events unfolding in his life. He is persistent in finding the truth surrounding King Laius’s death. “To protest Apollo is necessarily dialectical, since the pride and agility of the intellect of Oedipus, remorselessly searching out the truth, in some sense is also against the nature of truth. In this vision of reality, you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you mad” (Bloom 10). His investigation leads him to discover the truth surrounding the prophecy in which he kills his father and sleeps with his mother. During this whole play, Oedipus is never really content with anything.

Both the reader and the characters develop similar problems in dealing with the chaos around them. Like Pynchons' reader's, Oedipa is forced to either work toward interpreting the trail of seemingly indecipherable clues being tossed in her wake or forgo it all and walk away in bewilderment. Like the reader by deciding to go on, however aimlessly, she is forcibly drawn out of the complacency of her own existence; into a chaotic system of intrigue that reaches far beyond her normal scope of understanding. In the same turn, like Oedipa the reader's role is also based on interpreting numerous symbols and metaphorical clues as a means of stumbling upon a legible conclusion that will stop the madness. Each of them arriving at a different conclusion or none at all solely depended upon how far the use of our perceptions will allow us to go. Unfortunately both Oedipa and the reader (myself included) are overwhelmed by the myriad of inconsistencies and masked innuendo saturating this book from cover to cover. Unable to sufficiently distinguish between what is real and relevant and what is unreal and irrelevant, both are left feeling disconcerted and

The theme of sight and blindness is undoubtedly important to notice while reading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words “see” or “blind” are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was “blind” to the truth. All of the characters, except one, can physically see, but mentally cannot see the truth.

As the play continues, we start to see a shift in Oedipus’s personality. This was due to the conclusion he makes based on the conversation him and the prophet Tiresias has. It mentions how Kreon, Oedipus brother-in-law, is plotting against him. “So? You come here? You have the nerve to face me in my own house? When you’re exposed as its master’s murderer? Caught trying to steal my kinship?” (Sophocles 500). Now, Oedipus is arrogant, he blames Kreon based off of the conclusion he jumps too. He gets discouraged from his role as a leader, he is irrational, angry and hot tempered, whereas, in the beginning,

Oedipus is blind, not only in "mind," but also in "ears." He has proven himself to be a man who can listen carefully, but when he becomes angry he cannot hear anyone’s views but his own. His ability to reason, his second great virtue, falls victim to his

From the very beginning, what makes Oedipus ' actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and also throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus ' fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply discover his own unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, and his determination is commendable. There is nothing that compels him to act in this way, instead he freely chooses, with much zeal, to initiate the chain of events that will ultimately lead to his downfall. It is this interplay between Oedipus’ own free will and his fated eventuality that is the crux of the play, and constitutes the main dramatic power.

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,

Similarly, the name of Oedipa’s psychiatrist Dr. Hilarius is, for instance, a similar play of the language, since there is nothing hilarious about his character, who is engaging in formidable experiments at a World War II concentration camp. When it comes to experiencing paranoia and conspiracy, the plot follows the main character Oedipa Maas, who discovers Trystero, a secret postal service organization, which threatens the economy of the official postal service. The information she finds about the existence of Trystero, however valid it may be, radically changes her perception of the world. Throughout the novel, Oedipa becomes more and more paranoid and disorganized, reading hidden meaning into everything. Solving the mystery of Trystero becomes her ultimate priority in life and makes her unable to distinguish the world of her obsession from the real world. Even though she is somewhat aware of creating her own reality, she does not know what extent of the world she perceives is real and how much is a part of her

That the world has things to tell her is not an entirely new idea to Oedipa.At the inception of her role as executrix, she sits in her convertible gazing down upon a typical Southern California suburb--and is instantly reminded of the insides of a transistor radio:

The Crying of Lot 49 groups these separate alienated persons together, by positing the existence of an organization which unites those who have withdrawn from `the machinery of the Republic’. It focuses on the contribution to the extension of the public domain of the state and capitalist control of information and communication. In the fable of the Tristero postal network, it figures this monopoly through the `official government delivery system’ which seeks to eliminate the `private carriers’, those who communicate in an

The story of Oedipus is a perfect example of family secrets and mysteries that lie within a society. No matter which era or generation, there will always be similar stories and events like Oedipus. Mankind is fascinated by mystery, and when is specific to their families, the urge and curiosity to get to the bottom of things will always be present. The basic questions of who am I? And where did I come from? Will always be the driving force behind any individual in the search for the truth. The story of Oedipus can be seen both as tragic as well as heroic in some of his actions, ignorance cannot be used to excuse a crime but it can make it unintentional.

Oedipus is effected by outside influences as much as Medea is, however it is not as exemplified. The outside influences slowly creep into Oedipus’s mindset as the story moves on. Despite how swayed Oedipus might have been by others, he showcases actions influenced only by personal desires in the beginning of the story. Oedipus is one who has a position of power, which may have shaped him to trust his own mind and decisions over others. His mental toughness is broken through however with characters such as Tiresias and the Herdsman. Little details about his past break down the barrier that shields his mind from being influenced by outside sources. As Effie Coughanowr suggests, Oedipus willingly listening to this toxic information serves as, “a single false step and tragedy becomes reality.” (Coughanowr para. 17). This process is a long one where at the end he is seen as broken man that blames himself for the events unfolded. The manner in which he blames himself, “O Kithairon, why did you bring me in? Or once you had