Oedipa's Fate

It is appropriate that Pynchon does not offer a resolution at the end of The Crying of Lot 49 because if he had, it would have undermined the rest of the novel.  We discussed extensively strategies of meaning making in the novel and ways in which Oedipa tries to find meaning in her world.  It is a world that seems to be both extremely chaotic but highly constructed at the same time.  Though it may be a futile search, I do think that Oedipa’s name is significant throughout the novel.  I found the comment in class today about dramatic irony to be interesting.  Though Pynchon does subvert our expectations, there are still important contributions that the main character’s name brings to the book.  Rather than making connections through the plot lines, I thought of Oedipus Rex and his role as a character who was locked into his fate.  Even though Oedipus is given away by his parents to avoid the disastrous fate that had been prophesied, he fulfills it anyways.  I think this is really significant because in spite of difficulties in linking Oedipa’s story with that of her namesake, she too is a character who lacks the agency to avoid the destiny that is expected of her as a white, middle-class, American, heterosexual woman.  She is trapped in her tower and unsuccessful in any attempt to escape.  However, this inability to break boundaries has a strong parallel to the way people understand society in the post-modern world.  There is an awareness of social constraints, influences, and issues but they remain extremely difficult to change or work around.  I think the passage about Oedipa’s encounter with Winthrop Tramaine that we discussed in class today is a good example of this.  Though she is offended by his racism, she lacks the ability to stand up for herself and her beliefs.  Despite wanting to change something about herself, Oedipa lacks the ability to do so and therefore, things remain the same for her.  If Pynchon had tied the ends up nicely, it would not have fit with the rest of the novel.  Oedipa’s continuous struggle may seem bleak but I think there is hope in the fact that Oedipa remains searching instead of coming to any false conclusions.  Pynchon’s focus on Oedipa shows that she is aware of a sense of dissatisfaction which places her outside of the norm and makes her a model for a person who is uninterested in the oppressive nature of mid 20th century constraints in America.  While Oedipa may or may not fulfill her fate in the end, she is at least willing to move forward.  The novel ends with Oedipa sitting alone, bravely facing her future as Loren Passerine shuts out the sun and begins the auction which might give her answers and might not.