English & History Essay

The Crying of Lot 49 &

A Mega Essay By Tiffany Shearer

Imagine a time where everyone was a conformist. No one wanted to go against the grain

of society. Everyday people had family dinner and always pretended to agree with the

government in fear of standing up for their beliefs. Think of being in this routine, then all of a

sudden the sixties begin and life changes. The sixties were a time where people started not only

thinking outside the box, but their actions were out of the box as well. The postmodern book,

The Crying of Lot 49, is a prime example of the change in view points during the decade. In the

fifties, people were thinking outside of the box, but it was not till the sixties when their thoughts

were fully portrayed. Thomas Pynchon’s main goal in writing is to alter people’s view of reality

and to prove that reading can be purely for enjoyment and humor, not just order or connectivity.

The Crying of Lot 49 reflects the craziness of the sixties because both question the definition of

the norm and if all is truly what it seems. Through odd characters, random settings, music,

context, and unrelated acronyms, Pynchon demonstrates that all aspects of life can have an

alternative meaning, or maybe have absolutely no meaning at all. This is how he wants people to

interpret true reality. Through Pynchon’s point of view, if all aspects of life connect perfectly in

a book, then it does not truly demonstrate the hectic quality that makes life the way it is. In the

sixties, the fifties’ norm was eliminated from the minds of many. Through growth and

controversy of Pop Culture, the Woman’s Rights Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the

Vietnam War, the sixties showed that change was destined to happen and that the people were no

longer going to sit back and watch the so called perfect world of the fifties continue a decade

longer.

The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon takes communication to a whole new level by

writing in a manner that makes one think in a way they would not normally think. He plays with

minds to get people to think out of the box. He does this through the use of acronyms, odd

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names, settings, music, and context. In the book, there are many puns and ways that Pynchon

manipulates the words and names of the characters to portray a normal world. At the same time,

it is difficult to actually gather any meaning out of the plays on the language. Pynchon puts many

little clues in his books, yet does it in a way that does not actually amount to any substantial

evidence in the book. He makes it seem like his puns, and the way he plays with words, has a

greater meaning to create a sense of confusion. By doing this, he portrays how there is indeed a

way to write without having a deeper meaning.

Some of the main clues Oedipa comes across during her search for the Tristero System

are not always that helpful. These clues are the acronyms DEATH and WASTE. While merely

acronyms, they also spell words that intrigue the reader. Oedipa read, “Don’t Ever Antagonize

The Horn” (Pynchon 98) that she saw scratched on the back of a seat on the bus. Pynchon writes

like this so that one will ponder if that is a coincidence or not. Oedipa finds that the word

WASTE stands for “We Await Silent Tristero’s Empire” (Pynchon 139). Once again, Pynchon

manages to demonstrate that there can be multiple meanings to every word and that there is not

always a simple answer. In the beginning, the book states that Mucho’s radio station is called

KCUF. Oedipa Maas states, “By the time he married her he’d already been two years at the

station, KCUF, and the lot on the pallid, roaring arterial was far behind him, like the Second

World or Korean Wars were for older husbands” (Pynchon 6). When the radio name is spelled

backwards it is a totally different word. For example, the word DOG spelled backwards is GOD,

but that doesn’t mean there is any connection. Maybe DOG stands for other words, but it doesn’t

have too. The word can be interpreted in various ways, and just because it is peculiar, doesn’t

mean it is wrong. Who is to say that any of the words in any language really mean what they

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mean? Everyone could interpret what they mean a smidge differently and that is what Pynchon

wants to point out.

There are many characters that have odd names in this book. One example is Dr.

Hilarious. Dr. Hilarious is a crazy psychologist who tries to get Oedipa to take medicine, but she

doesn’t trust him. Pynchon does this also for a reason. Not only does he show that Oedipa goes

to a doctor who she doesn’t trust, which makes no sense, but his name also doesn’t match who he

is. Pynchon did this because since the character is so loony, it makes for funny reading; hence

the word ‘hilarious’ in his name. Dr. Hilarious called Oedipa in the middle of the night trying to

persuade her to join this study at a hospital he is working at. The study involves her taking LSD.

Oedipa responds saying, “I am having a hallucination now, I don’t need drugs for that” (Pynchon

8). Then Dr. Hilarious proceeds to ask her what she wanted to talk about, making it sound as if

she called him, which obviously wasn’t the case. Out of disgust, she hung up on the doctor. She

didn’t fully believe he was crazy, though, until later in the book when Dr. Hilarious goes

absolutely insane and locks himself in a room with a gun and then takes Oedipa into the room as

a hostage. He believed there were people after him trying to kill him and he thought everyone

was against him. Oedipa’s husband, Wendell, is also called Mucho, which is also an odd name.

Oedipa never specifies why she calls him Mucho, but it seems like there should be a meaning. In

Spanish Mucho means ‘a lot’. Maybe Pynchon did this to be funny. Mucho is not very

productive around the house and is always interested in some other job, so the name Mucho

could be making fun of the character for not amounting to a lot. Then again, Pynchon doesn’t

have strict meaning during any of the book. This could be his reasoning behind it, or maybe he

just liked the name. There are never any straight answers and Pynchon does that on purpose. He

wants to write a book that is thought provoking.

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There is also a lot of non-verbal communication in this book. Most of the book is about

body language and how people react in various situations. In the beginning, Oedipa seems to be

caught up with what everyone is saying, but she soon catches on to the fact that the way they

react to questions and the way they act around her can provide her with more information than

what they are verbally telling her. Many of the men Oedipa talks to during her search of the

Tristero System seem very skeptical of her. They seem to look down upon her. For example,

when Oedipa goes and asks the director of the play about the word ‘Trystero’ and what it meant,

he just says, “You, that part of you so concerned, God knows how, with that little word, would

also vanish” (Pynchon 62). He gives Oedipa absolutely no credit and he doesn’t even

acknowledge her while she is talking to him, showing with his body language that is he

obviously not interested in what she has to say. Richwell even states,

“The Tristero System itself, the focus of the novel, is virtually equated with

nonverbal, extra-rational communication…. The odd presence in the test itself of

the graphic symbol of the muted post horn immediately identifies the Tristero as a

virtual rather than linguistic communication system” (Richwell Para. 1-2).

The symbol shows that communication is being done in a way that has nothing to do with

speaking. Richwell also says,

“The emphasis of Hilarius and Driblette on communication as a body language

becomes directly linked to the Tristero System. The Latin root of the word

miracle, to which the Tristero System is associated throughout the text, means to

simile (OED). Thus, the memorable and enigmatic smile of the Tristero riders

becomes emblematic in the novel of body language” (Richwell Para. 5).

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This shows how Pynchon likes to play with communication to get ideas across to different

people.

Pynchon makes it seem like the music has some sort of meaning, but it doesn’t. Matthew

Eklund says, “Music in The Crying of Lot 49 is always in some way artificial, with the effect that

real music-natural sounds produced by true musicians- has been replaced by musical signifiers

that exist outside the original music that they signify” (Eklund Para. 1). For example “Mile’s

Song”, which doesn’t have a specific title, is very peculiar and really doesn’t have any reason for

being in the book other than to be humorous. One line in the song is, “Too Fat to Frug” (Pynchon

16). There is no meaning to the word ‘Frug’. Pynchon adds the song not because it makes sense

with what is going on currently in the book, but because it doesn’t make sense and this adds

humor. Eklund also states, “The fact is that nobody can tell what band the Paranoids stand for,

only that they and their music are an image” (Eklund Para. 2). This just goes to show that they

are only a band for the image, not necessarily to mean anything. In another part of the book

Miles and Oedipa are having a conversation and Miles says, “You hate me too” (Pynchon 17).

Then Oedipa replies, “You are a paranoid” (Pynchon 17). In this case, Pynchon shows how this

time there is a connection because Miles is paranoid and he is in a band called the Paranoids. By

doing this he adds more confusion because by having one aspect of the book actually connect, he

gives the illusion that maybe just maybe the whole book may connect in some way or another.

At the end of the novel, Oedipa realizes that she has absolutely no idea if there is a

Tristero System, but she does learn more about herself throughout the adventure. This seems to

be another motive from the author. Oedipa even says, “In the songs Miles, Dean Serge, and

Leonard sang was either some fraction of the truth’s numinous beauty (as Mucho now believed)

or only a power spectrum” (Pynchon 150). She also says, “Behind the hieroglyphic streets there

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would either be a transcendent meaning, or only the earth” (Pynchon 150). These two quotes are

where Oedipa starts to really understand that there is not always a reason for all that is done. She

realizes that there is a possibility that the Tristero System is real and there is a possibility that it

isn’t. Pynchon wants to show people that not all aspects of a book or even life itself have to fit

together in this giant puzzle. He wants to show that life is a bunch of random puzzles mixed

together: some pieces may fit, and some may not. There are even times when some pieces can fit

in multiple places.

The settings in The Crying of Lot 49 really showcase Pynchon’s writing style. For

example, there is a point in the book when Oedipa, Metzger, and the Paranoids get stuck on an

island because Di Presso leaves with the boat. The water was too cold to swim to shore, and

there were no trees on the island to make a raft. They were stuck in the middle of a lake with

nothing but the clothes on their back and a cooler full of iced tequila. There was no real point to

having the characters end up stuck on an island, but Pynchon did this to show that life is random

and not all aspects of life happen for a reason. At one point, Oedipa goes backstage after seeing

The Courier’s Tragedy to ask the director about the meaning of the show. He says,

“You could fall in love with me, you can talk to my shrink, you can hide a tape

recorder in my bedroom, see what talk about from whatever I am when I sleep.

You want to do that? You can put together clues, develop a thesis, or several,

about why characters reacted to the Trystero System possibility the way they did,

why the assassins came on, why the black costumes. You could waste your life

that way and never touch the truth. Wharfinger supplied words and yarn. I gave

them life. That’s it” (Pynchon 63).

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This is just another point in the book where Pynchon is showing that not every ordeal or decision

made has a reason behind it. The director obviously didn’t really have any meaning to why he

changed a few of the verses, but the verses were changed, and Oedipa wanted some sort of

reasoning behind it. The director said there was none, but Pynchon wanted to show that there

could be many. In reality the changes the director made could have meant nothing to him, but

would lead people to think of all sorts of possibilities instead of the changes meaning nothing.

There is also a place in the book that is said to be in California called San Narciso. The name of

the city appears to have a connection with the residence of the city itself. Narciso seems to be a

word derived from ‘narcissistic’. There seems to be a connection because a lot of the people in

this city are very caught up in their own ideas and our egotistical. That idea could just be a

coincidence and was not supposed to be interpreted that way. It could also mean many other

qualities. Or it could mean absolutely nothing. This is just another way Pynchon writes to

purposefully conjure up thoughts of uncertainty.

In summary, Pynchon states that communication is not always a helpful tool and how

there isn’t always a meaning to life. Pynchon does this through his cryptic use of acronyms, odd

names, settings, music, and context. He demonstrates the importance of body language through

his writing style. The most important message that he is portraying in his book is that life does

not always have a meaning. Life can be crazy, and humans do not always do what seems most

logical. People can be random, and by writing a book that is very random and interpreted in

many ways, he accomplishes his goal.

Andre Gide once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to

lose sight of the shore” (qtd. in Fernandez-Armesto 261). People in the sixties were finally

thinking out of the box; they were finally straying from the comfort of the shore. They knew that

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the journey would not be easy, but it would be worthwhile. The 1960s was a time of change and

even more importantly than that, a time of rebellion. People were trying to create peace for all,

but before that could be achieved, rebellion had to occur. There were many that did not want the

chaos that went along with change, but that was the only way to get the country to a place where

it could be unified enough for progression. The 60s led to large changes in music, art, and

fashion. The Civil Rights movement, the Woman’s Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War

were all very controversial during this time as well. The 60s were a time where people were

straying from the traditional times of the 50s and redefining themselves as individuals who

deserve to have their individual rights. The 50s were over, therefore, change was inevitable. John

F. Kennedy said, “We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it” (qtd. in

Mills 133). Once a boat travels far enough from the shore its hard if not impossible to go back

the way originally traveled.

Music in the 60s was all about rock and roll. The birth of Rock and Roll was because of

the increasing drug scene. With all of the problems and changes going on at that time, many

turned to drugs because it made them forget. (Clare 124). There were many concerts and the

music scene began to grow even larger. In 1969, Woodstock was held. It was a three day music

festival which incorporated many bands. Many hippies came because of the nonstop music, but

drugs and alcohol were also very popular there. Many of the people that went were “Hippies”

who were against all the war and fighting. They just wanted peace, love, and happiness

(Goodwin, Bradley Para. 2). Many of them showed their rebellion through their choice of music.

Many adults looked down on these bands because they were thought to be bad influences. Many

were scared of a change in the society. One very popular song in the 60s was The Ballad of the

Green Berets. This was a song all about the Vietnam War and a special group of soldiers called

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the Green Beret who went off to war. This is one of the only songs that talked about the Vietnam

War in a positive way. Many other songs were all about peace, like the Beatles very popular

song Come Together, which is all about creating peace in the world. In the 60s music meant

more than just having a good song to listen and dance to, it told a story that portrayed the times

of the 60s whether it be good or bad. Bob Marley once said, “When the power of love overcomes

the love of power, the world will know peace” (qtd. in Powe-Temperly 6). This was exactly what

the music of the 60s was trying to get across. Peace was not going to come without a fight.

Art in the 60s had a more modern flair. Artists wanted to get away from the detailed

traditional artwork of the 50s and create more abstract pieces (Clare 108). They wanted people to

escape into their art and explore a meaning on their own and actually having to interpret the

work of art. This was a large change because normally there was only one meaning to art, but

now there could be an unlimited number of meanings. Andy Warhol was very popular in the

Visual Art Movement or Pop Art. He is most largely known for his silk screen paintings of the

Campbell’s soup can and Marilyn Monroe (Patton Para. 8). He was controversial not only

because of the simplicity of his work, but also because he was openly gay. He demonstrated that

individuality was something to strive for, not something to shy away from (Powe-Temperley).

During the 50s there were many women who wanted equal rights, but once the 60s

emerged, woman started speaking their mind about the discrimination they were facing. In the

60s the Woman’s Rights movement blossomed. Women were adamant on getting their rights. In

fact women started to gain some support in the Government because, as Robert Higgs stated,

“The Equal Pay Act in 1963, ostensibly guaranteed woman equal pay for equal work” (Higgs

12). Style was an example of rebellion woman showed to prove they had rights. Women were

tired of having to be so conservative. Many started wearing miniskirts, go-go boots, and unisex

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dressing also became very popular (Powe-Temperley). Women wanted to show that they could

dress the same way as men and vice versa. Twiggy became very popular as one of the first

supermodels. Although she was from Britain she inspired the fashion scene in the western world.

She inspired many women to get their hair cut short and she was known for wearing starch-

pointed collars with dresses to show women can be both feminine and masculine. She was also

known for wearing baggy trousers with pin stripes. In 1966 many said, “Twiggy's slim figure and

short, boyish hair represented youthfulness and the new-found Sixties freedom” (Powe-

Temperley). Twiggy redefined the way women were expected to dress.

The Civil Rights Movement was at its peak during the 60s. The African Americans were

fighting for rights that they were being denied. In 1966 the Jim Crow law was said to be

unconstitutional, but just because it is said to be unconstitutional doesn’t mean that people went

along with this ruling (Duran Para 4). In fact, people that were for the Civil Rights Movement

wanted other Americans to stop discriminating; they wanted to make it appear as though they

were worthy of having the same rights as everyone else. In his book Peter Levy stated, “Most of

the rigged quiz shows, for example were rigged deliberately to let numerous colored

‘contestants’ win, the idea being to convince the American people that Negros were extremely

intelligent and cultured” (Levy 26). One movie that stood out during the 60s was Guess Who's

Coming to Dinner, which came out in 1967. This movie is about a white girl who brings her

boyfriend to dinner with her family. What she doesn’t tell her parents is that her boyfriend is

African American. At this time, racism is a huge issue. Even though everyone is said to have

equal rights, they don’t. This movie got a lot of people thinking about the racism that was still

going on. On the other hand, there were many people that did not like the message the movie was

sending.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential leader during the Civil Rights Movement.

He started his crusade in the 50s but, really established a larger following in the 60s when people

became less obsessed with the appearance that all was ok (Clare 114). Michael Kaufman said,

“He was their voice of anguish, their eloquence in humiliation, their battle cry for human dignity.

He forged for them the weapons of nonviolence that withstood and blunted the ferocity of

segregation” (Kaufman 38). He also added, “Over the years, King’s house had been bombed,

shots had been fired at his door, and he was jailed, ridiculed, stabbed and punched” (Kaufman

34-36). He led protests and even went to jail for his beliefs. Martin Luther King said, “The

ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but

where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (Kaufman 41). He portrayed this belief in

all that he did. He wanted everyone to see that if one does not stand up for what he believes,

then, they will never achieve what they want. In 1963, Martian Luther King Jr. gave his famous

“I have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and in the same year he

even led the March on Washington. This was one of the largest political gatherings in the United

States History. Kaufman stated from person experience, “I attended the mammoth March on

Washington on April 28, 1963. Arriving at dawn, we had watched as the city filled up. Cars and

buses with southern license plates dropped off groups of black people, most of them wearing

their Sunday best” (Kaufman 36). This March was to gain rights for African Americans. They

wanted jobs, but even more than that, the freedom to have the same rights as everyone else. In

1964 he even won the Nobel Peace Prize for his actions in the Civil Rights Movement. Even up

to the day he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King believed, “We must learn to

live together as brothers or perish together as fools” (Kaufman 40). He stood for this not only in

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his beliefs about the Civil Rights Movement, but also with foreign affairs for he was the first

political figure to speak out against the Vietnam War.

People began showing rebellion in not only culture, but in government acts. After the

Korean War of the 50s, America was still fighting Communism, which led to the, largely

controversial, Vietnam War in the 1960s. The Vietnam War started in 1965. Some people were

so against the war and the government that they rebelled and fled the country so that they

wouldn’t have to be a part of the war, but on the other hand, some people, especially political

leaders, thought the war was in America’s best interest. Michael Lind said,

“Nevertheless, the administration believed that something had to be done. If the

United States allowed itself to be humiliated by the communist-nationalist regime,

then its military credibility would be seriously undermined. The regional alliance

that the United States led might dissolve as the area's countries lost faith in

American protection. Across the world, both enemies and allies might interpret

American retreat as a sign of military incapacity or lack of political resolve. The

reputation of the United States for power and determination, the basis of its rank

in the regional and global hierarchy, was at stake” (Lind 2).

During the 60s there were five horrible years of fighting and arguing about the war. People

started to no longer care about the war. In fact many people totally forgot about it on a regular

day basis. Bernard Edelman said, “The Vietnam War cost 58,000 American lives and wounded

300,000 more” (Edelman 19). This war went well into the 70s before it ended, but it definitely

played a role in the mood of the people who lived during the 60s. In fact, he stated, “They

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marched home to furled flags and silent drums” (Edelman 23). This goes to show the lack of

sympathy Americans had and showed how little they cared about the war.

Lastly, the 60s proved to be a time where change and rebellion occurred in more ways

than one. The 60s was not a time of hidden problems, like the 50s. In the 60s, many of the

changes and problems the nation faced during the “happy days” of the 50s were beginning to

surface. People no longer wanted to act like all was ok. They wanted to show that they could

make a difference and succeed in retrieving the individual rights they deserve. John F. Kennedy

stated, “We stand today on the edge of a new frontier -- the frontier of the 1960s, a frontier of

unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats. The new frontier of

which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges” (qtd. in Mills 11). And

challenges there most certainly were. One small boat in an endless ocean facing a horrid storm

does not have much of a chance, but through music, art, the Civil Rights Movement, fashion, the

Woman’s Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War, the rebellion and change made a true

difference that can be seen today through the freedom that all have an equal chance at receiving.

When thinking about The Crying of Lot 49 and the sixties one word comes to mind:

Crazy. During the sixties life was messy. It was as if a tornado struck the decade. Many people

wanted change, but there were some people who were stuck in their ways. These people mixed

about as well as water and oil. At a glance, the book and the decade did not appear to have much

in common, but it’s not the event that occurred that are similar, it’s the thoughts and the ways

they carry out these thoughts. Normal was no longer what one would call the norm; crazy was

the new norm for the sixties. In writing The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon related the book to the

time whether it was planned or not. Writing a book during any decade automatically leads to

connections whether they are clearly visible or not, because without living during the decade, the

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author would not be the same person and have the same experiences, therefore the book would

not be exactly the same.

Pynchon’s The Crying of lot 49, is a book meant to provoke thought. It is a book where

the plot, characters, and the story in general do not make much sense. The book was written in a

very nontraditional way and just like the sixties, it was crazy. This is a book that could have only

been written because of the cultural changes in the sixties and all the rebellion that took place.

Pynchon has always been quite rebellious. In fact, there are very few pictures of him because he

does not like to be seen in public. He will not let the Government or anyone else be in control of

him. During the sixties many people were going through a similar stage. Many Americans during

the sixties were finally vocalizing their distraught at the lack of individual rights that they were

receiving. In the book, there is no order, but Pynchon does this to show that one can break away

from conformity and still end up achieving all that they planned and maybe even more.

In the sixties people were going against the Government. Many lost trust in the

Government because of the conspiracy theories that were being brought up. In the book, there is

a search for answers about an underground mail system. Although the answer is never revealed,

leaving the reader to question all that went through their mind during the entire book, the

underground mail system is directly going against the government. This within itself was a

conspiracy theory. People did not trust the Government; therefore there was an immense amount

of protesting and refusal to follow laws that were considered by some to be unjust.

During the sixties people were shying away of the idea of the “Happy Family”. This is

portrayed in the book in more than one way. First, Oedipa doesn’t have children and is a middle

aged woman. Second she cheated on her husband with another man but does not feel guilty about

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it because she feels they are even now because of all the times he has cheated on her. This fact

does not seem to bother her in the slightest. Also, the band the Paranoids are always hanging

around the hotel and never seem to be home with their families. Their family appears to be the

band itself which is a new idea for that time period. Not only were the families broken up, they

were also very open about their family problems where in the fifties that would have been

covered up.

Believe it or not, the acronyms in the book also have a connection to the sixties. There

were many acronyms in the book. In the end, they are still a mystery. They seem like they could

stand for an actual word like, W.A.S.T.E., but as the book goes on there really seems to be no

connection to the actual meaning of “waste” in the novel. It could really have to do with the

word “waste” or it could be totally different. This idea provokes thought and makes one second

guess all the connections they previously made in the book. Pynchon wanted to either make

people think more or even make them think less. His book was supposed to be humorous and not

have any real specific meaning although it could have a meaning depending on how one were to

read and interpret it. The sixties was like this because there are many uncommon ideas that arose

for example: Woman’s Rights, Civil Rights, and culture change. These ideas make people

question all they ever knew and actually make them think in a totally different way which is

exactly what Pynchon is doing with this book.

All in all, both the sixties and The Crying of Lot 49, introduce to people that originality is

an extraordinary trait. In order to get all one desires they must be true to themselves and not hide

inside of a box where the world cannot see them for who they are. Don’t always try to figure out

the meaning of life, have fun and deal with it along the way. There is not always going to be a

specific path to follow nor are all aspects of life going to make sense. Don’t be afraid to go

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against the norm of society just because of what others will think. The sixties were a time where

people came to the realization that nothing was going to change on its own. They had to take a

stand and see where it led them. They did not always have a specific plan to their actions, but

they still achieved their goal in the end. The idea of an enclosed box should no longer be the cage

to a human mind, because anyone can change the norm.

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Annotated Bibliography

Clare, John D. Growing up in the People's Century. London: BBC, 1996. Print.

This book wasn’t just as about the sixties, but it was about the 1900s in general. There

was a section about the 60s though and that is what I used. The book talked about the

different cultural aspects of the sixties. The book even went into how the Vietnam war

affected the people’s everyday lives, and how it played a role in the changing culture.

This book also had a section on the fifties which was useful because part of my paper was

showing how the sixties were such a dramatic change from the fifties.

Duran, Jane. "Black/White Radical Alliances In The 1960S." Monthly Review: An Independent

Socialist Magazine 63.5 (2011): 56. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

I found this review from a magazine on the internet. It was helpful because it went into

detail about the Civil Rights Movement. It went into detail about Martin Luther King Jr.

and his life. The Internet magazine talked about how the Civil Rights Movement affected

not just the African Americans, but played a large role in the lives of everyone in the

1960s. The only problem with this magazine is that I had to be careful what I used from it

because although it had a lot of good facts, it was also rather opinionated.

Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley . "1960-1969." American Cultural History. Lone Star

College-Kingwood Library, 1999. Web. 7 Feb. 2011.\

This was an internet source, but it was very reliable because it was established by a

college. The website was all about the cultural aspects of the 1960s. The website was

very organized and was easy to source. It even provided contact information from the

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people who wrote it in case you were to have any further questions. This website

provided me with information about music, art, and fashion. It even showed how these

cultural aspects changed from the 50s to the 60s, which was exactly what I needed to

support my thesis.

Edelman, Bernard. Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. New York: Norton, 1985. Print.

This book has letters that were sent back and forth between Vietnam soldiers and their

loved ones. This book was helpful because it enabled you to get into the minds of the

soldiers in Vietnam and what all they went through. This book even went into detail

about how the soldiers were treated when they arrived home. Although this book did not

provide instant facts, it was a great resource to actually understand the Vietnam War

opposed to just knowing the history behind it.

Eklund, Matthew. "Pynchon's THE CRYING OF LOT 49." Explicator 59.4 (2001): 216.

MasterFILE Premier. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.

I found this article on the database at school and it was very helpful in writing the literary

section of this essay. Although the article was not very long, it gave great insights to how

much the book actually has to do with music. It even describes whether the music was

meant to have an actual meaning in the book or if it was merely there for humor and

confusion. This wasn’t an article that gave you straight forward answers, it made you

think. This helped me think more about the meaning of the book which helped me create

a more in-depth paper.

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Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. Ideas That Changed the World. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley,

2003. Print.

This book was not all that useful to me. It had a lot of interesting insights but the majority

of the book wasn’t about the 60s. I did find one quote in it though and although it wasn’t

from the 60s but it went well with what I was talking about in my essay. Although this

source was not that useful to me, it was still a very good source and had a lot of

information about history and the different philosophers and ideas that impacted

America.

Higgs, Robert. “Government and the Economy Since World War II.” Independent Institute

Working paper. Paper. 58 (2005) 1-35.

This article was all about The government and economy in postwar America. The whole

article was not about the 60s, but a portion of it was and this portion was useful. The

information in this article was helpful but most of my paper wasn’t about the government

or economy so I was only able to use on quote from this source. That is not to say that it

isn’t still a very good source, it just wasn’t about what I was researching.

Kaufman, Michael T. 1968. New York: Roaring Brook, 2009. Print.

This book was all about the year 1968. Although it is only a year in the 60s, a lot

happened during this time period. The book goes into great detail about many aspects, but

I mainly used this book for the background it had in the Civil Rights Movement. I was

able to find a lot of information about Martin Luther King Jr. I found out not only what

he did and how he suffered because of it but I also found out about how his followers felt

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about him. This helped me n writing my essay because the gratitude these people felt for

him was remarkable.

Levy, Peter B. America in the Sixties--right, Left, and Center: A Documentary History. Westport,

CT: Praeger, 1998. Print.

This book was all about the political aspect of the 60s. Although I only used one quote

from the book for my essay, it was still a very good source and gave me good insights.

This book was mainly a book of facts but anytime there is a book about politics there will

be some sort of opinions. This book had a lot of opinions but all of the opinions were

backed up with solid information which made you think about what they are trying to say

in greater detail.

Lind, Michael. Vietnam: The Necessary War: A Reinterpretation of America's Most Disastrous

Military Conflict . New York City: Free Press, 2002.

This book was very useful. So many of the books I read stated how horrible the War in

Vietnam was, but this book showed the other view of the war. It showed the view that

while, many people may not have thought it was a good war; they thought it was

certainly necessary. This book was written in a way that portrayed very information while

making you think at the same time. Even if you do not agree with the statement in the

title, don’t have that be the reason you do not open the book, because although it shows

the one side it does help one gather their own opinion on the matter.

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Mills, Judie. John F. Kennedy. New York: F. Watts, 1988. Print.

This book was all about the life of John F. Kennedy. It didn’t just talk about his

presidency, but it also talked about his everyday life. The book helped me better

understand Kennedy. This book also provided me with many famous quotes of

Kennedy’s that I found interesting and very useful in writing my essay.

Patton, Charlie. "MOCA's new exhibit intended to educate us on the art of the '60s." Florida

Times-Union, The (Jacksonville, FL) 28 Jan. 2012: Newspaper Source. Web. 15 Apr.

2012.

This article is all about a new Museum of Contemporary Art that is opening up. Although

this aspect isn’t too relevant to my paper, it talked a lot about some of the art work will be

there. There is going to be section there which is completely dedicated to the art of the

sixties. The article talked a lot about the Visual Arts movement and Andy Warhol. I was

able to use this information in my paper. Although it helped me a little it didn’t have

extensive information on art in the 60s so it wasn’t all that helpful in that sense.

Powe-Temperley, Kitty. 20th Century Fashion: The 60s ; Mods and Hippies. Milwaukee, WI:

Gareth Stevens Pub., 2000. Print.

This book was very helpful because it talked about all the aspects of fashion in the 60s. It

talked about all the different fashion icons in the 60s and it talked about all the different

styles. This book also talks about the Woman’s Rights Movement and how fashion

played a large role in showing the population that Woman should be allowed to have the

same rights as men. The book was organized in sections so it was very easy to read and to

get the exact information that I needed.

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Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. New York: Harper. 1966

The Crying of lot 49 was all about going against the normal writing style. Through his

dysfunctional story, Pynchon shows that not all aspects of a book have to make sense and

there doesn’t always have to be a purpose. He shows that people are always trying to

make connections in their everyday life, while in reality not every aspect of life is related;

in fact a lot of what happens in life doesn’t always connect. Through this, he shows that

communication can be shown in multiple ways. Communication isn’t always just written

or spoken; it can be seen through the reactions of others as well. Pynchon’s story is all

about Oedipa and how she is searching for this underground mail system, but the reader

never finds out if it is real or just a pigment of Oedipa’s imagination. This further

supports Pynchon’s ideal that not all is what it seems. He makes one question a lot about

life.

Richwell, Adrian Emily. "Pynchon's THE CRYING OF LOT 49." Explicator 47.1 (1988): 50.

MasterFILE Premier. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.

I got this article from the database in the library. This was how I got the thesis for the

literary section of my essay. This article was all about how communication plays such a

large role in The Crying of Lot 49. There are so many different forms of communication

in this book and the article explains them all. There are some pretty unusual ideas in this

articled but they all made you think. This made me ponder even more about the book and

how it can be interpreted in so many different ways.

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