The Demon in Thomas Pynchon’s Crying of Lot 49 has the complex role of addressing the ideas of information, interpretation, and existence. The Demon is the functional aspect of the Nefastis machine which endlessly sorts molecules in the hopes of creating order and energy without the use of work. This process parallels Oedipa’s journey towards finding the Trystero, as she too faces the struggle of collecting information, and the problem of how to interpret the information she collects. Not only does the Demon serve a similar function to Oedipa, but also highlights her isolation from reality.
The Demon inside the Nefastis machine like Oedipa serves as the interconnection between communication and the world that they live in, tasked with the job …show more content…
In this case it is impossible to know if the demon is connection with her or not, because if she looks at the piston then the Demon will stop connecting with her, and if she is looking at the painting then there is no way for her to see if the piston is moving. So in essence the demon is both real and not real, as there is no way to prove either. This parallels the fact that she can never know whether the Trystero is real or whether this was all created by Pierce Inverarity. For example, when Oedipa attends the auction in the hopes of finding the man who may or may not be part of the Trystero. Oedipa takes this to be a way to definitively prove the existence of the Trystero, however like knowing if the Demon is actually there, she has no way of gathering conclusive evidence. “Oeidpa sat alone, toward the back of the room, looking at the napes of necks, trying to guess which one was her target, her enemy, perhaps her proof.” (152). There is a significant amount of uncertainty as not only does she not know who she is looking for, but she is “looking at the napes of neck” (152), which would presumably all look the same, highlighting the fact that the best she can do is guess. In fact Oedipa was, “trying to guess which one was her target”, which parallels her experience of …show more content…
This parallels Oedipa who was in constant search of sensitives, whether it be Metzger, Mucho, or Driblette. Her inability to connect with the Demon is comparable to her sensitives not being able to connect with her. For example, when Mucho talks to Oedipa about his hearing, “I noticed it the other night hearing Rabbit do a commercial. No matter who’s talking, the different power spectra are the same, give or take a small percentage.” (116). His explanation that people’s “power spectra are the same” ties in this relationship between Oedipa and her supposed sensitives. Oedipa requires someone who can understand her, who is on same level as her mentally, someone who like a sensitive which is telepathically connected to the Demon, can be bound to her. Mucho’s explanation of everyone sounding the same accentuates Oedipa’s sense of being alone, she gets the impression that she can’t be heard, she is just white noise. Even her psychiatrist Dr. Hilarius, whose job it is to listen to her ignores her and her problems, and ironically tells her about his problems. There is he feeling of utter
The Demon inside the Nefastis machine like Oedipa serves as the interconnection between communication and the world that they live in, tasked with the job …show more content…
In this case it is impossible to know if the demon is connection with her or not, because if she looks at the piston then the Demon will stop connecting with her, and if she is looking at the painting then there is no way for her to see if the piston is moving. So in essence the demon is both real and not real, as there is no way to prove either. This parallels the fact that she can never know whether the Trystero is real or whether this was all created by Pierce Inverarity. For example, when Oedipa attends the auction in the hopes of finding the man who may or may not be part of the Trystero. Oedipa takes this to be a way to definitively prove the existence of the Trystero, however like knowing if the Demon is actually there, she has no way of gathering conclusive evidence. “Oeidpa sat alone, toward the back of the room, looking at the napes of necks, trying to guess which one was her target, her enemy, perhaps her proof.” (152). There is a significant amount of uncertainty as not only does she not know who she is looking for, but she is “looking at the napes of neck” (152), which would presumably all look the same, highlighting the fact that the best she can do is guess. In fact Oedipa was, “trying to guess which one was her target”, which parallels her experience of …show more content…
This parallels Oedipa who was in constant search of sensitives, whether it be Metzger, Mucho, or Driblette. Her inability to connect with the Demon is comparable to her sensitives not being able to connect with her. For example, when Mucho talks to Oedipa about his hearing, “I noticed it the other night hearing Rabbit do a commercial. No matter who’s talking, the different power spectra are the same, give or take a small percentage.” (116). His explanation that people’s “power spectra are the same” ties in this relationship between Oedipa and her supposed sensitives. Oedipa requires someone who can understand her, who is on same level as her mentally, someone who like a sensitive which is telepathically connected to the Demon, can be bound to her. Mucho’s explanation of everyone sounding the same accentuates Oedipa’s sense of being alone, she gets the impression that she can’t be heard, she is just white noise. Even her psychiatrist Dr. Hilarius, whose job it is to listen to her ignores her and her problems, and ironically tells her about his problems. There is he feeling of utter