Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
"Against the Day" is a novel by Thomas Pynchon set against the backdrop of late 19th and early 20th century America, exploring themes of anarchism, capitalism, and the quest for knowledge. The narrative follows the Traverse family, particularly focusing on Webb Traverse, an anarchist dynamiter, and his sons: Kit, a mathematician; Frank, who becomes involved in labor struggles; and Reef, who continues his father's legacy of dynamiting.
The story begins at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, where an airship crew known as the Chums of Chance conducts surveillance and embarks on various adventures, including a quest for the mythical city of Shambhala. As the narrative unfolds, the characters confront the impacts of capitalism, labor exploitation, and personal relationships against a backdrop of historical events like the Tunguska Event and the Mexican Revolution. The interplay of personal and political conflicts drives the plot, revealing the complexities of familial bonds and the struggle against oppressive systems. Ultimately, "Against the Day" presents a tapestry of interconnected lives navigating the turbulence of their era, marked by a blend of realism and surrealism intrinsic to Pynchon's style.
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Subject Terms
Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
- Born: May 8, 1937
- Birthplace: Glen Cove, New York
First published: 2006
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Absurdist
Time of plot: 1893–1920
Locale: Denver, Colorado; Venice, Italy; London, England; Utah; Mexico
Principal Characters
Webb Traverse, an anarchist dynamiter from Colorado
Kit Traverse, his son, mathematician
Frank Traverse, his second son
Reef Traverse, his eldest son
Scarsdale Vibe, a capitalist mine owner
Randolph St. Cosmo, an airship commander
The Story
In 1893, the airship the Inconvenience is flying for the Chicago World’s Fair. Led by commander Randolph St. Cosmo, the crew is known as the Chums of Chance. After they arrive, St. Cosmo heads to the offices of White City Detectives, where he picks up a private eye named Lew Basnight, who has been transferred to Denver, Colorado, to investigate labor activities there. For the time being, however, he aids the Chums in surveillance duties above the fair. At the fair, the Chums see Scarsdale Vibe, a wealthy and malicious mine owner. When the fair is over, Basnight heads to Denver, and the Chums receive orders to fly southwest.
Unhappy with the treatment of miners, dynamiter Webb Travers blows up railroad bridges to thwart mine owners. Webb’s seventeen-year-old son, electrician Kit Traverse, is assisting electrical engineer Nikolai Tesla on one of his projects in Colorado Springs. One day, Kit meets Foley Walker, Scarsdale Vibe’s assistant. Walker persuades Kit to leave home to study at Yale University. With Vibe’s financing, Kit leaves home, alienating his father in the process.
In 1902, the Chums of Chance are assigned to follow the Sfinciuno Itinerary, a map of Asian routes that allegedly lead to the mythical city of Shambhala in the Himalayas. While in Venice, Italy, the Chums encounter a Russian airship crew also hoping to locate Shambhala. The two ships battle over the Piazza San Marco, which leads to the collapse of the Campanile bell tower.
Back in Colorado, Basnight believes he is being followed by the Kieselguhr Kid, an infamous dynamiter and terrorist. Basnight has been hanging around local anarchists, who have swayed him into sympathizing with them. Basnight nearly dies in an explosion but is rescued by two Englishmen, who take him with them to England. The two men are members of the True Worshippers of the Ineffable Tetractys (TWIT), a secret spiritualist organization.
Meanwhile, Webb has been promoted to shift boss at the mine, though he does not hold his new position long. Scarsdale knows Webb is the Kieselguhr Kid, so he hires Deuce Kindred and Sloat Fresno to abduct and murder him. Webb’s corpse is taken to Jeshimon, Utah, a wasteland for evildoers.
Reef Traverse, one of Webb’s older sons, learns of his father’s abduction and travels to Jeshimon. He retrieves his father’s corpse and brings it back to Telluride, Colorado, so his family can perform a proper burial. During the return journey, Reef reads to his father’s corpse from a pulp novel about the Chums of Chance. He imagines that his father is talking to him, which makes Reef think about his father’s dual nature, living as both a professional miner and an anarchist. After the funeral, Reef’s girlfriend, Estrella "Stray" Briggs, gives birth to a boy, Jesse. Reef then takes over his father’s work as a dynamiter anarchist.
After Webb’s murder, Deuce marries Lake Traverse, Webb’s only daughter. He desperately longs for her to forgive him for murdering her father. Eventually, he becomes the mayor of Wall O’ Death, Missouri. Despite Webb’s death, the terrorism against the mines and railroads continues, leading Scarsdale to believe that Deuce and Sloat did not actually carry out their mission. Before Scarsdale’s company can get to them, Frank Traverse, Webb’s second son, locates and murders Sloat. Frank then departs to Mexico, drinking his money away.
Meanwhile Kit, who did not attend his father’s funeral, has been traveling around Germany and China with Yashmeen Halfcourt, a beautiful mathematician and member of TWIT. In Europe, they run into Reef and decide to hold a séance to talk to their dead father to see if they should assassinate Scarsdale, who has been recently seen in Vienna. From beyond the grave, Webb tells them he is remorseful for being a bad father.
In 1908, Kit travels to Siberia on the day of the Tunguska Event, during which an explosive force demolished eight hundred square miles of trees. This event throws Kit into hysteria and causes him to question the meaning of his voyage. Reef begins searching for Scarsdale, but then he enters into a relationship with Yashmeen; together they travel around Europe. Frank is still in Mexico, where he was shot during the Mexican Revolution and has been taking peyote. Eventually, he returns to Denver to help in the mining labor struggles.
In 1914, Scarsdale returns to Colorado. Frank spots him and Foley in the town of Trinidad and attempts to assassinate Scarsdale. Instead of defending his master, Foley shoots Scarsdale himself. A mining strike in which Frank takes part ends with the slaughter of dozens of miners and their families. Afterward, Frank is reunited with Stray.
Years later, Kit joins the Italian air force and battles Austrian invaders. Reef returns to the west, moving in with Frank and Jesse. The Chums of Chance have grown in ranks and have married the women of the Wandering Sisterhood of the Sodality of Aetheronauts.
Bibliography
Duyfhuizen, Bernard. "The Exact Degree of Fictitiousness: Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day." Postmodern Culture 17.2 (2007): n.pag. Print.
Hardack, Richard. "Consciousness without Borders: Narratology in Against the Day and the Works of Thomas Pynchon." Criticism 52.1 (2010): 91–128. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=56443684&site=lrc-live>.
Leise, Christopher, and Jeffrey Severs, eds. Pynchon’s Against the Day: A Corrupted Pilgrim’s Guide. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2011. Print.
Menand, Louis. "Do the Math." New Yorker. Condé Nast, 27 Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.