Binarisms Discussion
As with most Pynchon novels, Against the Day is studded with binarisms, perhaps the most obvious in this case being Light and Dark. I've tried to arrange the binarisms so that all the elements that might be construed as being of the "Light Side" appear first, followed by those on the "Dark Side." This grouping is not meant to be absolute, and elements in the book may partake in both light and dark signifiers. For example, Telluride is elevated (Light Side), but is associated with Hell (Dark Side). I've only listed a few characters, mainly because they often seem to have different doubles in different parts of the book and because they appear sometimes to switch sides, Anakin Skywalker style. Please feel free to expand. Also, any elements that I remain uncertain of, either as fully intended binarisms or regarding which side they ought to appear on, I've marked with question marks. In not much of a particular order:
- "Each meandering river presented a distinction between the two sides, prosperity or want, upright or immoral, safe as Heaven or doomed as Sodom, sheathed in certainty or exposed in all helplessness to the sky and a tragic destiny."
- "Wild West or decadent East..."
Light - Dark
Up - Down
Out - In
Peace - War
Life - Death
Heaven - Hell
Cold - Heat
Air - Earth
Linear Time - Cyclic Time
Linear Systems - Parallel Systems
Singular - Multiple
Cigars - Opium (?)
Coffee - Chloral
Mouth - Anus
Shoes - Hats (?)
Germany - England
America - Mexico
Japan - China
West - East
North - South
White - Black
Green - Red
Yellow - Purple
Blue - Orange
Sun - Stars / Moon
History - Myth
Fact - Fiction
Past - Future
Space - Time
Vision - Scent / Sound / Smell / Touch
Vectorism - Quaternionism
Pearl - Diamond
Gold - Silver
Glacier - Volcano (?)
Pearl - Diamond
Innocence - Experience
Male - Female
Waking - Dream
Industry - Gambling (?)
Shininess - Luminescence (?)
Melody - Harmony
Werfner - Renfrew
Vibe Family - Traverse Family
the Inconvenience - the Bol'shaia Igra
- "I.M.R.O. is split between the Deltchev people and others who are nostalgic for the short-lived 'Big Bulgaria' as it was before the Treat of Berlin"
- "The Manichæan aspect had grown ever stronger — the obligation of those who took refuge here to be haunted by the unyielding doubleness of everything."
Apologies for the dismal formatting. Anyone out there with better HTML skills than mine is welcome to have at it.
I think one of the most crucial binarisms re light is "natural" vs. 'man-made"....also I would argue for Day---Of/For vs. Against and, maybe Anarchy --- Violent vs. Non-Violent. [User Mkohut, 2/11/07]
Another is the white/black Manichaian binarism found in geographic names. The follow was cut wholesale from notes on Byal Sredets to clean up the Annotations by Page area.
