The Crying of Lot 49, written by Thomas Pynchon, ends with the words "...to await the crying of lot 49" (p.152). Why end his novel like this? I think that he is showing that, after searching during the entire book, Oedipa finally just waits for the answer to present itself to her. She is waiting to figure out how will "cry" for the lot 49. Why did Pynchon choose the number 49 though? I don't think it was just a random number. It must have some sort of symbol behind its innocent appearance. Was it the year that Tristero was created? Does it have to do with the fact that 4 is even, and 9 is odd?
And what is with the sentence "She heard a lock snap shut; the sound echoed a moment" (p.152). Were all of these people perhaps being locked in, to be killed or something? Or maybe it was just her, and all of these people were members of some sort of conspiracy, and she had gotten too close to figuring them out, and now she is either going to be killed, or offered a spot in their "priesthood" (p.152).
As the door is closed, the lobby windows and the sun are also shut out. Could this be hinting at a no escape kind of event? "The sun" might be symbolising enlightenment, concerning everything Oedipa was trying to find out in the first place.
What is the real meaning behind the ending of The Crying of Lot 49?
Auction items are called "lots"; a lot is "cried" when the auctioneer is taking bids on it; the stamps in question are "Lot 49". from Pynchon wiki, click here to go to the site
Yes, you point out a classic example of pun. I hope you enjoyed Seize the Day more.
ReplyDeleteActually a teacher mentioned a hypothesis for the choice of number. In 1849 with the Gold Rush in California, the treasure hunters were in immediate need for communication, therefore the services were elaborated. So, in a sense 1849 was sort of a landmark for the mailing history.
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