Abstract

Many of Pynchon's characters are given to bickering. In Vineland, Van Meter engages with the other members of his "commune" in "energetic" and "relentless ... bickering raised to the level of ceremony" (9). Vato and Blood, the "towaway teammates" (177), engage in "recreational bickering" (185); if they cannot bicker about basketball because they both support the Lakers, they have "to find something else to bicker about," such as Jack Nicholson's sunglasses in a film (378). Vato and Blood's bickering, in spite of apparently signalling division, may, in fact, be a form of bonding, a displaced or disguised display of affection.

How to Cite:

M. Wallhead, C., (2001) “Mason and Dixon: Pynchon's Bickering Heroes”, Pynchon Notes , 178-199. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/pn.96