V. Essay Questions

What does V. say about the purpose of art?

From free-jazz musician McClintic Sphere, to wistful poet Fausto Maijstral, to cult novelist Mafia Winsome, and her husband, the eclectic producer Roony Winsome—and, of course, the uninspired Whole Sick Crew—V.’s cast of characters contains numerous portrayals of artists. Perhaps the most direct exploration of art and art’s purpose is provided in Fausto Maijstral’s confession, in Chapter 11. Maijstral describes art as a tool for veiling the uncomfortable truths of reality. “It is the ‘role’ of the poet, this 20th Century. To lie,” he says (p. 326). He continues, “But in dream there are two worlds: the street and under the street. One is the kingdom of death and one of life. And how can a poet live without exploring the other kingdom, even if only as a kind of tourist?” (p. 325). The role of the artist from Maijstral’s perspective is to move beyond the world of truth—to conceal the truth—and, in turn, explore the deeper world of dreams. (Advice, seemingly, Pynchon has attempted to follow himself: in an introduction to a collection of his early stories, he admits to having been inspired by the surrealist movement for his story “Under the Rose,” which was later adapted into Chapter 3 of V.).

Where, if anywhere, do you find hope in Pynchon’s V.?

McClintic Sphere’s aphorism—“keep cool but care”—might be one example of hope: Sphere shows that you can escape binary thinking (i.e. cool vs. crazy), and introduce ambiguity—in this case, introducing the possibility to “care” whilst remaining cool. It is an optimistic claim: that we can stay calm in the face of horror and suffering, without losing our empathy.

Another, potential, moment of hope is the ironic personal agency of Benny Profane: although a schlemihl, Profane is revealed to be a schlemihl by choice. Similarly, Herbert Stencil chooses to see meaning and order amongst (in Dr. Eigenvalue’s words) “any cluster of phenomena.” Both men choose absurd purposes for themselves—for Profane: a devil-may-care life; for Stencil: finding something in nothing. Is this hopeful or cynical? Well, both men seem to enjoy their lives. Maybe we have to choose to see it as hopeful.

What is the significance of V., and/or should the reader even seek to understand V.?

Reading the novel, it is increasingly clear that V. contains no one meaning. And when Benny Profane asks why Herbert Stencil is even investigating V., Stencil has no definitive answer. Instead, he says, “So in this search [for V.] the motive is part of the quarry” (p. 386). Does “V.” symbolize “the search for V.”? Often, V. is likened to dreams, called a “gaudy dream of annihilation”…

Regardless of V.’s symbolism, it is clear that Pynchon’s novel deals significantly with these questions: why do humans believe? why do we dream? why do we search for V.? Look at the title: the novel itself is V.

How do Pynchon's formal choices shape the novel?

Answers can address Pynchon's incorporation of song lyrics, his use of subtitles, and so on. The following example addresses Pynchon's subtitles.

At their simplest, the subtitles give a succinct, playful synopsis of the chapter to come. Some subtitles provide especially important exposition. For example, Chapter 3’s subtitle—“In which Stencil, a / quick-change artist, / does eight / imperson- / ations”—informs the reader that the historical narrative is likely told and distorted by Herbert Stencil. This is crucial information that shapes our understanding of every historical chapter that follows.

Some subtitles go further, containing symbolic significance. Consider the subtitles to Chapter 5 and Chapter 7: “In which Stencil nearly / goes West with / an alliga- / tor” and “She hangs on the / Western / wall,” respectively. It must be significant that two of seventeen chapters feature prominently the word “west,” especially when their usage is confined to moments that relate to V. Herbert Stencil “nearly goes West” while looking for V. in the sewers; it is Venus (i.e. V.) who hangs on the Western wall. These subtitles imply a symbolic relationship between V. and the West—i.e. Western civilization.

And each subtitle follows the same spatial pattern—loosely lineated into the shape of a “V.”—a shape that, surely, encourages the reader to look for V. in anything and everything.

V. is full of mirrors, parallelism, and doublings—choose and analyze the significance of one such pairing.

Some readers might notice numerous parallels between V. and Paola Maijstral. For example, both adopt alter-egos: V. with her varied aliases—i.e. Victoria, Vera, Veronica—and Paola as Ruby. Both, as well, are frequent subjects of desire: Pig Bodine and Roony Winsome both try, and fail, to seduce Paola; Victoria Wren is regularly subjected to the male gaze in Chapter 3, and later, in Chapter 7, is coveted by Demivolt (and, to a lesser extent, Sidney Stencil and Evan Godolphin). So, it is notable that Paola Maijstral, somehow, inherited V.’s ivory comb—a comb that Paola hands to her husband in Chapter 16, but that is worn by V. throughout the historical chapters.

In some ways, Paola seems to be a reincarnation of V.—or, at least, an alternate version of her. This could be understood as one example within Pynchon’s larger thematic explorations of the cyclical nature of history.