If the point of writing is to find deeper meaning about the human condition, then Thomas Pynchon's novella "The Crying of Lot 49" fails. It's a detective story in search of discovering a mysterious postage company only to discover that, maybe, it is all a delusion. As one of the premiere voices of the postmodernist movement, Pynchon has created some of the most provocative, confusing stories and it never gets more odd than here, where everything means something and nothing at the same time. It's one of the greatest works of fiction, leaving the reader with plenty to think about as they discover more details that will either make the story greater or them more likely to become a conspiracy theorist.
Oedipa Maas is a protagonist as curious as her name. Following the death of her husband, she comes across some knowledge about a postal company. It doesn't come through old documents, but through unraveling that starts at a four act play. While this is already an absurd idea, it is only the start of Oedipa's curiosity into things. She sees a horn that looks odd and must have answers as to what it stands for. The title refers to a public auction, whose Lot 49 is where the story ends. Before a big could be made and the answers given, the story cuts short. It raises the question as to whether this actually had an answer to her mystery, or if this was just another futile step in a journey full of no answers.
So, why invest in a book that has such an impressively ambiguous ending? Well, for starters it may be a red herring. Maybe the horn was just an image meant to connect other ideas together. In the pages prior to the final words, Oedipa is reminded of America's complexity. Is the story all a metaphor for the changing American landscape, or is it about the futility of the American dream? It's hard to say, but it both has everything and nothing to do with the horn. We're all chasing the satisfaction of a clear answer, but it doesn't come easy, or at all. Lot 49 requires buying into an idea that may mean nothing in the end. For all of the actors, radio jockeys, and eccentric characters that Oedipa meets along the way, they all feel more like clues than actual characters. Pynchon is in control of his writing because every sentence is an expertly written example of the mundane, hiding clues that are engrossing and feel like they mean something greater. But do they? It's a weird world that hides meaning, but is the world actually meaningful?
Over the course of 150 pages, Pynchon creates a story that is so provocative and memorable while managing to create worlds larger than much longer novels. By the end of the story, it is one of the most concrete readings of its kind. Even with an ambiguous ending it manages to earn every sentence with plenty of humor and slapstick as well as a bleak view of the world. "The Crying of Lot 49" is the type of masterpiece because it doesn't make sense while engaging the audience in a way that makes them imagine it does. It's only in the best kind of meticulous writing that conveys themes and ideas without making a big deal about them. For a story that doesn't last long and could be seen as a breezy read, it requires a lot of patience to understand its subtext - much like Oedipa's quest. You could read it a few times and come away with different interpretations each time. That's an example of great writing, and Pynchon definitely knew how to mess with people's heads.
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