Don't read this book looking for hot and tempting sexytimes: sex in Pynchon's work is just another subject of parody. A bunch of characters have super-perverted desires… and the most nearly normal episode of knockin' boot involves putting on (not taking off) as many articles of clothing as possible. Sex seems to be everywhere in The Crying of Lot 49 (it was the swingin' 1960s, after all) and yet nowhere does it offer Oedipa a chance for happiness or emotional gratification.
Questions About Sexuality and Sexual Identity
- What challenges does Oedipa face in the novel specifically because she is a woman?
- How does Pynchon portray sexual relations between men and women?
- Why are all the men in the novel obsessed with young girls? Why are all the men so perverted?
- What is the relationship between sex and violence in the novel? Why does Nefastis link sex to Vietnam?
Chew on This
Sex in Pynchon's novel is inherently perverted. The men view sex as a chance for dominance, whereas Oedipa views it as a chance for emotional connection.
The omnipresent obsession with young girls in Pynchon's novel emphasizes that there is no such thing as innocence in the world of Lot 49; innocents attract attention simply because they can still be corrupted.