The Crying of Lot 49 Theme of Technology and Modernization

For a bookworm, Pynchon is surprisingly literate when it comes to modern science, and two scientific concepts—entropy and Maxwell's Demon—are totally central to understanding The Crying of Lot 49. The presence of a giant electronics and missile company also hovers over the plot, and throughout the novel we see the extent to which technology has come to affect every single aspect of modern life.

1. How do the scientific concepts of entropy and Maxwell's Demon act as metaphors for Oedipa's struggle with the Tristero?
2. What do you make of Pynchon's appropriation of scientific concepts for literary purposes?
3. What does Stanley Koteks's rant about Yoyodyne's patent policy reveal about the nature of modern science?
4. What role does Yoyodyne play in the culture of San Narciso? How are the lives of the people who work there affected by technology?

Technology is a dehumanizing force in The Crying of Lot 49, and what might be sincere human relationships take on a mechanical quality.

John Nefastis's ridiculous Perpetual Motion Machine reveals that metaphor has no place in science and highlights the enormous divide between literary and scientific modes of thought.