unit 10.1 big ideas and themes
Hypocrisy in the Government
Without a doubt, the Unit 10 Big Idea of hypocrisy in the government is an important factor in Thomas Pynchon’s classic novel Gravity’s Rainbow. For example, the many irresponsible actions of character Tyrone Slothrop correlate with the theme of government hypocrisy. A lieutenant in the United States army, serving in Europe during the end of World war Two, Tyrone Slothrop is an extremely insufficient government employee, and does much more bad than good as as a public servant. Throughout the novel, Slothrop participates in many irresponsible and unnecessary endeavors, including the fact that he sleeps with a countless number of often random women while serving in the army. Slothrop also encourages racism, is frequently under the influence of drugs, and shrugs of his military duties while embarking on personal missions and many sexual encounters. With his constant womanizing, drug use and his involvement in a handful of surrealistic episodes, it is clear that lieutenant Slothrop is unfit for a commanding role in any government profession. The role of any militant overseer is to accomplish their mission in a decisive manor and to fearlessly serve their country with pride; however, Slothrop does not contain any of these qualities. Furthermore, a main plot point of Gravity’s Rainbow is the dynamic that whenever Slothrop receives an erection, a German A2 rocket falls up on that location days later. Not only does Slothrop fail to assist the army in fighting in the war, he is indirectly the cause of mass death and destruction, the opposite of the intended purpose of most governments. Additionally, the theme of government hypocrisy can be seen in the novel's multiple of examples of genocide committed by oppressive governments. The most prominent example of this is the many references to the Jewish holocaust, for Gravity's Rainbow begins in late 1944 and ends shortly after the war's conclusion. And while specific issues concerning the nature of warfare and causes of the international conflict are rarely alluded to, the horrors of the concentration camps are specifically mentioned during character Franz Pökler's visit to the camp in which he believes his daughter to be located. This genocide is the most prime example of government hypocrisy, for the Nazi leaders who came to power appealed to the people with ideas of hope and prosperity, and while in command, delivered the exact opposite through brutal force and discrimination. Genocide is also referenced during Pynchon's retelling of the Herero's colonization by the Germans, where the South African tribe, in which character Oberst Enzian once belonged, was greatly diminished by the brutal effects of German imperialism. Clearly, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow includes the Unit 10 Big Idea of hypocrisy in the government.
Discovering the Truth
Another Unit 10 Big Idea which appears in Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow is discovering truth. An example of this theme can be seen in Slothrop attempting to find the truth of rocket 00000. During the novel’s second part, Slothrop becomes aware of the relation between his sexual encounters and the dropping of rockets, he also learns of a rocket with an irregular serial number, 00000. He also learns about the substance Impolex G., a unique plastic material that ties with military corporations and hidden memories of his past. Upon receiving this information, Slothrop embarks on a nationwide search to discover the truth regarding this peculiar dynamic, primarily searching for the whereabouts of a Dr. Laszlo Jamf, a scientist who created Impolex G. and possibly experimented on Slothrop as a child. Despite its extremely convoluted narrative structure of lack of focus on specific characters, Slothrop’s arc of discovering the truth regarding rocket 00000 is Gravity’s Rainbow’s most prominent plot line, especially throughout the middle of the novel. Employing the use of violence, espionage and even sex, Slothrop desperately attempts to reveal the truth; however, this objective is often put to the side as he becomes involved in many unrelated subplots in some of the novel’s numerous surrealistic vignettes. The mystery behind rocket 00000 is, unfortunately never discovered by Slothrop, his character largely doesn't appear in the novel’s last one hundred pages and his conflict remains unresolved. Undoubtedly, character Franz Pökler’s realization of the holocaust is an example of the big idea of discovering the truth in Gravity’s Rainbow. A German chemical engineer working on the creation of rocket 00000, Pökler is forced by the Nazis to slavishly work on the device, not allowed to leave the laboratory until it is completed. In addition to these stipulations, Pökler is only allowed to see his daughter once a year, who lives in a concentration camp. His guilt over abandoning his family and serving the Nazi cause, as well as his suspicion that the girl who claims to be his daughter is, in fact, a different girl every year, leads Pökler to leave his confined zone and enter the concentration camp during the end of the war. Needless to say, Pökler is horrified to discover the appalling realities of the death camps in which his supposed daughter lives; his realization of the horrendous genocide of the holocaust stands out as one of the few, or perhaps the only, genuinely serious moments in the novel, free of the satire or dark humor that are constantly present throughout. Similar to Slothrop, Pökler does not find the truth in which he was seeking, but does become aware of the atrocities committed by the government in which he serves. Surely, the Unit 10 Big Idea of discovering the truth is present in Gravity’s Rainbow.
Satire
Clearly, satire is a Unit 10 Big Idea which is a factor in the Thomas Pynchon masterpiece Gravity’s Rainbow. The parody of multiple characters representing military stereotypes is an example of satire in Gravity’s Rainbow. Lieutenant Slothrop’s character can be considered a parody of the corrupt American military head, who has no concern for the effects of the war on civilians, and rather indulges his own sexual desires and personal missions. The espionage which takes place also takes place in a satirical manner, for the exaggerated relation between spying and seduction is reminiscent of James Bond’s erotic adventures while undercover. Slothrop is constantly under the influence of some kind of drugs, an incredible womanizer who sleeps with much more than a realistic number of woman, and uses seduction and murder to obtain his goals, often of which are not government-related; furthermore, Slothrop could almost be considered a direct parody of agent 007, for the films were increasingly popular at the time Gravity’s Rainbow was written. Even some supporting characters, such as Major Duane Marvy, are somewhat satirical, for Marvy is a bumbling, ignorant racist, and an obvious caricature of the oblivious American General. It is believed that Pynchon included these character qualities as a mockery of the U.S military’s involvement in the Vietnam War, an important social issue during the period, and of Hollywood’s inaccurate exploitation of global espionage. An example from Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow which also maintains the Unit 10 Big Theme of satire is Pynchon’s view of world powers and, specifically, American culture. For example, Just about every nationality of people, of which there are a great many, is portrayed in a negative, cynical light. Despite it being an American novel taking place in World War Two, the United States army specifically is portrayed in a satirical, clandestine manner. Slothrop, a lieutenant in the army, has already been named an extremely insufficient government employee, and Major Marvy a prejudice dolt. In addition, American soldiers in Gravity's Rainbow are sexually-driven drug fiends who often commit awful and immoral acts, but is written in typical form that puts a positive, propaganda-esque spin on such acts. Pynchon writes, in his signature chaotic syntax, “Let’s see now: atrocity, genocide, murder, serial killing, rape, pedophilia, incest… heh, heh. Just good clean American fun here, folks” (Pynchon 498). Channeling the hidden cruelties of American life often unspoken and left untouched by American authors of the time, Pynchon uses dark humor, irony and exaggeration to make a brutal point about the altering condition of modern America. Along with this portrayal of Americans, Pynchon also distributes this cynical satire to the German armies. As well as the obvious horrors of the genocide committed by the Nazis, the German Captain “Blicero” Weissmann is portrayed as an unbelievably cruel figure of pure evil, who along with spear-heading the rocket programs and contributing to mass murder, has a pedophilic, bisexual love affair with a malnourished teenage sex slave, who he eventually puts inside the rocket before it’s launch. And while satire is a device commonly used in Gravity’s Rainbow and a large factor in Pynchon’s infamous writing style, these are just two examples of how he uses this comical effect to bring some form of humor to extremely dark topics. Surely, Gravity’s Rainbow features the Unit 10 Big Idea of satire.
Without a doubt, the Unit 10 Big Idea of hypocrisy in the government is an important factor in Thomas Pynchon’s classic novel Gravity’s Rainbow. For example, the many irresponsible actions of character Tyrone Slothrop correlate with the theme of government hypocrisy. A lieutenant in the United States army, serving in Europe during the end of World war Two, Tyrone Slothrop is an extremely insufficient government employee, and does much more bad than good as as a public servant. Throughout the novel, Slothrop participates in many irresponsible and unnecessary endeavors, including the fact that he sleeps with a countless number of often random women while serving in the army. Slothrop also encourages racism, is frequently under the influence of drugs, and shrugs of his military duties while embarking on personal missions and many sexual encounters. With his constant womanizing, drug use and his involvement in a handful of surrealistic episodes, it is clear that lieutenant Slothrop is unfit for a commanding role in any government profession. The role of any militant overseer is to accomplish their mission in a decisive manor and to fearlessly serve their country with pride; however, Slothrop does not contain any of these qualities. Furthermore, a main plot point of Gravity’s Rainbow is the dynamic that whenever Slothrop receives an erection, a German A2 rocket falls up on that location days later. Not only does Slothrop fail to assist the army in fighting in the war, he is indirectly the cause of mass death and destruction, the opposite of the intended purpose of most governments. Additionally, the theme of government hypocrisy can be seen in the novel's multiple of examples of genocide committed by oppressive governments. The most prominent example of this is the many references to the Jewish holocaust, for Gravity's Rainbow begins in late 1944 and ends shortly after the war's conclusion. And while specific issues concerning the nature of warfare and causes of the international conflict are rarely alluded to, the horrors of the concentration camps are specifically mentioned during character Franz Pökler's visit to the camp in which he believes his daughter to be located. This genocide is the most prime example of government hypocrisy, for the Nazi leaders who came to power appealed to the people with ideas of hope and prosperity, and while in command, delivered the exact opposite through brutal force and discrimination. Genocide is also referenced during Pynchon's retelling of the Herero's colonization by the Germans, where the South African tribe, in which character Oberst Enzian once belonged, was greatly diminished by the brutal effects of German imperialism. Clearly, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow includes the Unit 10 Big Idea of hypocrisy in the government.
Discovering the Truth
Another Unit 10 Big Idea which appears in Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow is discovering truth. An example of this theme can be seen in Slothrop attempting to find the truth of rocket 00000. During the novel’s second part, Slothrop becomes aware of the relation between his sexual encounters and the dropping of rockets, he also learns of a rocket with an irregular serial number, 00000. He also learns about the substance Impolex G., a unique plastic material that ties with military corporations and hidden memories of his past. Upon receiving this information, Slothrop embarks on a nationwide search to discover the truth regarding this peculiar dynamic, primarily searching for the whereabouts of a Dr. Laszlo Jamf, a scientist who created Impolex G. and possibly experimented on Slothrop as a child. Despite its extremely convoluted narrative structure of lack of focus on specific characters, Slothrop’s arc of discovering the truth regarding rocket 00000 is Gravity’s Rainbow’s most prominent plot line, especially throughout the middle of the novel. Employing the use of violence, espionage and even sex, Slothrop desperately attempts to reveal the truth; however, this objective is often put to the side as he becomes involved in many unrelated subplots in some of the novel’s numerous surrealistic vignettes. The mystery behind rocket 00000 is, unfortunately never discovered by Slothrop, his character largely doesn't appear in the novel’s last one hundred pages and his conflict remains unresolved. Undoubtedly, character Franz Pökler’s realization of the holocaust is an example of the big idea of discovering the truth in Gravity’s Rainbow. A German chemical engineer working on the creation of rocket 00000, Pökler is forced by the Nazis to slavishly work on the device, not allowed to leave the laboratory until it is completed. In addition to these stipulations, Pökler is only allowed to see his daughter once a year, who lives in a concentration camp. His guilt over abandoning his family and serving the Nazi cause, as well as his suspicion that the girl who claims to be his daughter is, in fact, a different girl every year, leads Pökler to leave his confined zone and enter the concentration camp during the end of the war. Needless to say, Pökler is horrified to discover the appalling realities of the death camps in which his supposed daughter lives; his realization of the horrendous genocide of the holocaust stands out as one of the few, or perhaps the only, genuinely serious moments in the novel, free of the satire or dark humor that are constantly present throughout. Similar to Slothrop, Pökler does not find the truth in which he was seeking, but does become aware of the atrocities committed by the government in which he serves. Surely, the Unit 10 Big Idea of discovering the truth is present in Gravity’s Rainbow.
Satire
Clearly, satire is a Unit 10 Big Idea which is a factor in the Thomas Pynchon masterpiece Gravity’s Rainbow. The parody of multiple characters representing military stereotypes is an example of satire in Gravity’s Rainbow. Lieutenant Slothrop’s character can be considered a parody of the corrupt American military head, who has no concern for the effects of the war on civilians, and rather indulges his own sexual desires and personal missions. The espionage which takes place also takes place in a satirical manner, for the exaggerated relation between spying and seduction is reminiscent of James Bond’s erotic adventures while undercover. Slothrop is constantly under the influence of some kind of drugs, an incredible womanizer who sleeps with much more than a realistic number of woman, and uses seduction and murder to obtain his goals, often of which are not government-related; furthermore, Slothrop could almost be considered a direct parody of agent 007, for the films were increasingly popular at the time Gravity’s Rainbow was written. Even some supporting characters, such as Major Duane Marvy, are somewhat satirical, for Marvy is a bumbling, ignorant racist, and an obvious caricature of the oblivious American General. It is believed that Pynchon included these character qualities as a mockery of the U.S military’s involvement in the Vietnam War, an important social issue during the period, and of Hollywood’s inaccurate exploitation of global espionage. An example from Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow which also maintains the Unit 10 Big Theme of satire is Pynchon’s view of world powers and, specifically, American culture. For example, Just about every nationality of people, of which there are a great many, is portrayed in a negative, cynical light. Despite it being an American novel taking place in World War Two, the United States army specifically is portrayed in a satirical, clandestine manner. Slothrop, a lieutenant in the army, has already been named an extremely insufficient government employee, and Major Marvy a prejudice dolt. In addition, American soldiers in Gravity's Rainbow are sexually-driven drug fiends who often commit awful and immoral acts, but is written in typical form that puts a positive, propaganda-esque spin on such acts. Pynchon writes, in his signature chaotic syntax, “Let’s see now: atrocity, genocide, murder, serial killing, rape, pedophilia, incest… heh, heh. Just good clean American fun here, folks” (Pynchon 498). Channeling the hidden cruelties of American life often unspoken and left untouched by American authors of the time, Pynchon uses dark humor, irony and exaggeration to make a brutal point about the altering condition of modern America. Along with this portrayal of Americans, Pynchon also distributes this cynical satire to the German armies. As well as the obvious horrors of the genocide committed by the Nazis, the German Captain “Blicero” Weissmann is portrayed as an unbelievably cruel figure of pure evil, who along with spear-heading the rocket programs and contributing to mass murder, has a pedophilic, bisexual love affair with a malnourished teenage sex slave, who he eventually puts inside the rocket before it’s launch. And while satire is a device commonly used in Gravity’s Rainbow and a large factor in Pynchon’s infamous writing style, these are just two examples of how he uses this comical effect to bring some form of humor to extremely dark topics. Surely, Gravity’s Rainbow features the Unit 10 Big Idea of satire.