The Pursuit of Meaning in Thomas Pynchon’s TheCrying of Lot 49 (1966)

Abstract

This study explores how Oedipa Mass’s journey, roams in an enigma that intersects self discovery with the emblematic willingness to maintain power through choice. As a matter of fact, this thesis traces the shift that transformed this female protagonist’s quest from an inactive agent into an active subject in the making of her future In the Crying of Lot 49 by the well acclaimed American novelist Thomas Pynchon. Additionally, it demonstrates how the quest for female emancipation deals with how the female body is portrayed as both a tool of empowerment and disempowerment. The first chapter of this thesis discusses the socio-political and historical context. The second chapter explores Oedipa’s journey into series of quests and explains the mental crisis and struggles that she felt during her search for her real existence by relying on Heideggerian, Sarterian and Neiztchian perspectives, that discuss the relationship between human beings and the universe. The third chapter focuses on Oedipa’s character change from a traditional passive woman from the middle class to detective searching for clues and meaning. This will be conducted by following Naila Kabir’s theory of Woman’s Empowerment (1999) in which she analyses empowerment through three interconnected dimensions and explains how women take control and ownership of their lives.