Upon the Wall, banish'd to this Den of Parlor Apes for its Remembrance of a Time better forgotten, reflecting most of the Room,— the Carpet and Drapes a little fray'd, Whiskers the Cat stalking beneath the furniture, looking out with eyes finely reflexive to anything suggesting Food,— hangs a Mirror in an inscrib'd Frame, commemorating the "Mischianza," that memorable farewell Ball stag'd in '77 by the British who'd been Occupying the City, just before their Withdrawal from Philadelphia.
* * * * * * * * * *
Line 3 Vulgarized:
Hanging on the wall in this backroom reserved for the monkey children because the object represents a time of strife and conflict was a commemorative mirror, reflecting the carpet and drapes and Whiskers the cat who is always hungry and probably curious which is why he's called Whiskers, from British General Sir William Howe's retirement party in 1778. I mean 1777. Whichever one is the actual date when the British withdrew from Philadelphia! I'm going to trust Pynchon's '77 over Wikipedia's 1778! I'm not stupid!
Subtext:
The mirror is a historical object from a time about a decade earlier that people would like to forget. Mirrors are also reflections of their environment. Here we have a mirror representing historical reflection. It has been placed in a room occupied by hyper children who will give it not much thought and one very hungry cat. Perhaps Pynchon feels his books are like that mirror. Historical reflections wasted on the masses.
Or the mirror can represent the extravagant waste of a bunch of losers celebrating nothing. It reflects nothing of the event, an event which meant and provided nothing to the greater good. It was a party for party's sake.
No comments:
Post a Comment