Racism is introduced in this novel with the character of Joseph Bloeckman. ... There is no need to go through every nasty remark made about Italians, garlic eaters, Negroes, Jewish shopkeepers, the millions "swarming like rats, chattering like apes, smelling like all hell monkeys," (p.394). The career of Joseph Bloeckman can stand for the whole. ...

• Word Count: 2828
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 is a very deep, complex, and demanding novel, requiring the wide breadth of knowledge. One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel is Pynchon's choice -- or rather, invention -- of the names he gives the characters and organizations described in the novel. ...

• Word Count: 2590
• Approx Pages: 10