The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon)

When I first began reading this novel, I struggled to form a basic structure of the story and find meaning in the information provided to the reader.  Meanwhile, the main character Oedipa shares a similar struggle that seems fueled by her paranoia.  As human beings we strive to find purpose in our lives, something the reader witnesses Oedipa trying to find throughout the strange series of events in the story.  However, Pynchon seems to paint the story in a way that can be interpreted as everything is coincidence or part of a larger conspiracy. It's as if Pynchon knows the reader cannot help but try and make meaning out of the confusion of the story and wants to make that near impossible.

Likewise, Oedipa is unable to form a connection or basic truth to the series of events unfolding around her; feeding her paranoia and frustration.  From the beginning of the story, it is evident that Oedipa analyzes things frequently, from her distrust of the pills Dr. Hilarius prescribes her to her attempt at recalling anything unusual about her last interactions with Pierce.  Her overanalysis of situations then turns into a more paranoid feeling when she is with Metzger, "Either he made up the whole things, Oedipa thought suddenly, or he bribed the engineer over at the local station to run this, it's all part of a plot, an elaborate, seduction, plot. O Metzger," (Pynchon 20). She clearly distrusts those around her and is very self-centered in her approach to the events of her life. However, Pynchon shows Oedipa is not the only character who struggles with paranoia. Metzger comments, "I live inside my looks and I'm never sure. The possibility haunts me," (Pynchon 18). While his paranoia is not near the level of Oedipa, the reader does see characters such as Miles and his band ironically called The Paranoids, Mike Fallopian who is part of a right-wing, anti-government organization, Manny Di Presso who becomes paranoid when he realizes "the kids" have overheard him, and Dr. Halarius who loses it completely and starts shooting at people he believes are after him; all of whom struggle with their own analysis of life events that leads to a connection of paranoia.  These multiple instances of paranoia further leads the reader to a state of confusion because if everyone is paranoid it leads one to wonder if maybe everyone is on to something...

Through Pynchon's use of paranoia in a variety of characters and situations, he almost mocks how people search to find meaning in things he seems to suggest hold no purpose or truth to be found. This belief is best summed up in Randolph Driblette's comment, "You could waste your life that way and never touch the truth. Wharfinger supplied words and a yarn. I gave them life. That's it," (Pynchon 63). In other words, Pynchon has made it near impossible for the reader to make meaning without giving into Oedipa's paranoia and belief in a larger conspiracy, forcing them to instead chalk it up to coincidence.