Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a complex novel by Thomas Pynchon set against the backdrop of World War II, exploring themes of paranoia, sex, and the interconnections of technology and humanity. The protagonist, Tyrone Slothrop, becomes the subject of intense psychological experimentation due to his uncanny ability to predict the launch of German rockets, which correlates with his sexual encounters. As he navigates a world filled with bizarre occurrences, including a surreal meeting with a woman under attack by a giant octopus, Slothrop's journey leads him deeper into a chaotic and often dangerous "Zone" in Europe.
His quest to find the source of the German A-4 rocket transforms into a series of adventures where he adopts various disguises and identities, reflecting the disintegration of his sense of self. Meanwhile, other characters pursue their own goals, from revenge to love, culminating in a tapestry of narratives that intertwine in their search for meaning within the chaos of war. As the story progresses, Slothrop's paranoia escalates, ultimately leading him to a retreat into nature, where he finds solace and a connection to the world outside the turmoil of his previous existence. The novel is marked by Pynchon's rich and intricate prose, delving into philosophical questions while presenting a critique of modernity.
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
First published: 1973
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical realism
Time of plot: 1944-1945
Locale: Europe
Principal characters
Tyrone Slothrop , an American lieutenant, experimental subject, and rakeDr. Edward W. A. Pointsman , a Pavlovian researcherRoger Mexico , a statistician employed by PointsmanVaslav Tchitcherine , a Russian intelligence officerMajor Weismann/Captain Blicero , a German rocket scientistOberst Enzian , an African protégé of Weismann and leader of the SchwarzkommandoKatje Borgesius , a Dutch triple agentGeli Tripping , the girlfriend of Tchitcherine and an apprentice witchJessica Swanlake , the companion of Roger Mexico and a secret employee of Pointsman
The Story
World War II is winding down, and in London, Tyrone Slothrop is assigned to a new post under the command of the Firm. The location known as the White Visitation was formerly a mental hospital exclusively but is now occupied in part by Pavlovian scientists, among them Dr. Edward Pointsman, who are conducting a series of experiments on conditioned response. The scientists work under the code name PISCES, an acronym for Psychological Intelligence Schemes for Expediting Surrender, and the section experimenting on dogs as subjects is subcoded Abreaction Research Facility or ARF. Slothrop is of particular interest to Pointsman because it is a known fact that within minutes of each German rocket launch, Slothrop becomes involved in a sexual liaison and it is assumed that he has the foreknowledge to predict such attacks.
As the experiments intensify in nature and threaten imminent bodily harm, Slothrop grows increasingly paranoid and is allowed to take a holiday, of sorts. With companions, he travels to a resort in the south of France where he has a strange encounter with Katje Borgesius, who at the moment of their meeting is under attack by a giant octopus. It is not until after his best friend mysteriously disappears, however, that Slothrop realizes the encounter with Katje—trained octopus and all—was staged by Pointsman and that Katje was placed in his path to keep him in line.
At this point Slothrop makes a run for his life and vanishes into the Zone, the inner recesses of mainland Europe. It is his misguided assumption that if he can trace the source of the rocket, specifically the German A-4, he can then trade that information for his freedom. During his circular attempt at seeking the rocket, which comes to be his Grail, Slothrop encounters a cross-section of humanity and a multiplicity of situations. His natural inclinations lead to many of his encounters being sexual conquests, drug deals, hallucinations, and devil-may-care heroics. His paranoia increases constantly, with reason. While he is in the Zone, Slothrop is forced to live off the land and the kindness of strangers, usually female, and by his wits.
Through various changes in his identity and costume, Slothrop slips into and out of potentially dangerous, possibly fatal, situations. With a falsified identification card, he goes across border checkpoints as the actor Max Schlepzig. He cohabits in a bombed-out building with an apprentice witch Geli Tripping. He escapes in a cream-pie-laden hot air balloon. He stows away on an orgiastic ship of fools going nowhere. He dons a cape and a Viking helmet without horns to become Rocketman and smuggles hashish out of the occupied Zone. He accepts the role of a liberator pig god in an ancient village ritual and escapes in the pig’s costume. Appropriately, he spends the majority of his time as Rocketman, the merger of the rocket and the man, and as the pig, having started his peripatetic quest as a guinea pig. In the process of altering himself with these aliases and disguises, however, Slothrop’s true self ceases to exist and essentially disintegrates, along with any interest he may have had in locating the rocket and in returning home. His final escape is into the mountains, where he discovers an aging harp, which he learns to play, and the wonders of nature, which he learns to appreciate, and he is heard of no more.
While Slothrop looks for the rocket, others race around seeking various goals. Oberst Enzian, the leader of the Swarzkommando, a displaced band of militant Africans brought to Germany to act as Nazi soldiers, searches for the parts to construct an identical rocket, assuming that with the information of how to build it he can gain revenge for the group’s forced relocation. Pointsman and others continue to search for Slothrop. Roger Mexico searches for a means of making Jessica Swanlake his permanently. Vaslav Tchitcherine pretends to search for information while he really seeks Enzian, his half brother. Geli Tripping searches for a spell to make Tchitcherine fall in love with her. Only one character searches for nothing because he already has the answers and the rocket. Methodically, Captain Blicero places his lover on board the weapon, begins the countdown, aims the rocket, and incinerates himself in the rocket’s afterburn.
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