The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter One

One of the first things I noticed about the book "The Crying Of Lot 49" was the strange names that the author used for some of the characters. For example there is a Dr. Hilarius, I wonder if his name is contrary to his personality. From what I've read, Dr. Hilarius is a strange, dark, questionable kind of man and maybe the author made his name into an irony. Then there is the married couple, Oedipa and Wendell "Mucho" Maas which are both very strange but meaningless names, Except for the fact that their last name seems foreign. Finally there is Oedipa's ex-boyfrind Pierce Inverarity, his first name is relatively common but his last maybe a real word so i will look it up and see if it matches or clashes with his flaky, crazy and at times terrifying personality.

The first chapter is an introductory chapter that lets the reader meet some of the exotic characters in the novel. The structure of some of the sentences is very difficult and made it necesary for me to read over a paragraph several times. The senteces were at times long and seemed to be a list of locations or thoughts and some times were short and maybe even too simple. This added and interesting but confusing twist the the structure of the chapter and kept me attentive to every world the author wrote since they are very connected in this book. I find this reading to be dense with alot of interesting vocabulary and ideas but, I think that as I continue to read, the book will begin to make more sense.

From the very beginning we learn of all the character's quirks and unique traits. Oedipa feels trapped in her world with an over-sensitive boyfriend and a now dead and crazy ex-boyfriend. The fact that she has to go to the psychaitrist tells the reader that she is slightly unstable and Pierce is a very good explanation for this mental instablility. Pierce was a very strange and seemingly messed up man, Oedipa used to recieve crazy phone calls from him screeching in different voices and cursing her husband with "the shadow". He was very rich but didn't seem sensible and now even after his death Oedipa still has to be haunted by him since she needs to execute his will. Oedipa's husband is a weak, easily moved man. He appears to be a nice guy but is too sensitive that sometimes it frustrates Oedipa. All the characters in this novel are strange and I have yet to discover more and establish new and even more intricate relationships. I wonder how long Oedipa was with Pierce, this would explain why she was on his will even after they had ended.

Inverarity: not a word just Pierce's last name.

Codicil: Is like a foot note or an addition that explains or modifies a will or part of one.

Ambiguity: doubtfulness or confusion about a meaning or intention.