Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos. n• 2 ( l
193).
pp. 53-63
TWO
FAILED SCIENTISTS: TIEMPO
DE
SILENCIOS PEDRO AND PYNCHON'S
POINTSMAN
CAROLE A. HOLDSWORTH
Loyola Uni e si y, Chicago
In 1962 he Spanish psychia is and su geon Luis Ma ín-San os ( 1924-1964)
published bis i s , and only comple e, no el, Tiempo de silencio; g ee ed as «una
no ela i epe ible» (Domenech 4), he wo k is now conside ed «
One
o
Spanish
li e a u e
's
ue con empo a y miles ones» (F anz 324 ).
In
1973 he Ame ican w i e
Thomas Pynchon (b. 1937) published bis hi d no el, G a i y' s Rainbow, ecen ly
desc ibed as «pe haps he mos impo an wo k
o
ic ion
o
he second
hal
o
he
cen u y» (Mchoul and Wills 23).
I is he pu pose o his s udy o compa e he p esen a ion
o wo
cha ac e s om
hese no els; he cha ac e s chosen a e Tiempo de silencio's p o agonis , don Ped o,
a y
oung
cance - esea che , and Edwa d Poin sman, one
o
he p incipal an agonis s o
G a i y's Rainbow, a Pa lo ian beha io is and Fellow
o
he Royal College
o
Su geons. Don Ped o (his amily name ne e appea s in he ex ) and Ned Poin sman
a e alike
in
many ways;
Lhe e
a e also ela ed aspec s
o
he wo ex s which e ea!
ma ked pa allels, pa icula ly he ea men o he heme
o
science and he p eoccupa ion
wi h human eedom. This s udy seeks o illus a e he ollowing s a emen o Tz e an
Todo o :
«a
wo k in i s en i e y
can
ne e be ead in a
sa
is ac o y and enligh ening
ashion
i
we
do no pu i in ela ion wi h o he wo ks, p e ious and con empo a y»
(244).
The
« ela ion» be ween Ped o and Poin sman is a an alizing one.
Acco ding o Ramón Buckley, he «anécdo a misma» o Tiempo de silencio can
be s a ed
in
a ew wo ds: he no el is «la his o ia de
un
homb e que quiso se
in es igado cien í ico y acasó» (207). Ped o, o ced o abandon bis admi edly
unp oduc i e cance - esea ch
a
he Ins i u e because
o
his in ol emen
in
a bo ched
abo ion, l
ea
es Mad id a he close
o
he no el o ege a e
as
a p o incial physician.
54 Ca o/e A. Holdsw
o h
The plo
o
G a i y' s Rainbow. a much longe ex han is he Spanish no el, does
no
lend i sel o so b ie a summa y, ye Poin sman 's des iny clea ly
e
sembles Ped o
's:
he beha io is
'
s esea ch ha ing ailed a e a bo ched cas a ion a emp ,
he
is
inally
« es ic ed o one small o ice ... o icially in disg ace»
(GR
716
).
Bo h men
a e
i isec ionis s, bo h wo k in a labo a o y which ea u
es
expe imen s wi h
dog
s
(al hough Ped o
's
own expe imen s cu en ly cen e upon nice), bo h e o e
he
lack
o
unding, and bo h - his is impo an and will be
de
e
loped la e - would be
willing o use humansubjec s i necessa y (in Tiempo de silencio, he younggi l Flo i a
who has been aising mice s olen om he Ins i u e; in G a i
y'
s Rainbow, he hapless
p o agonis , Ame ican lieu enan Ty one Slo h op,
who
se sexual
encoun e
s
inexplicably p ecede he s ikes
o he
V-2 ocke s).
Beyond he gene al plo ou lines, he e a e o he simila i ies. G a i y' s Rainbow
opens wi h Pí a e P en ice
's
d eam
o
e acua ing he bombed ci
y
o
London; a
bi
la e , Slo h op wande s h ough Ge many du ing he desola e inal mon hs
o
Wo ld
Wa
11
, while he Ge man ocke -enginee Pokle unknowingly wo ks nex doo o he
concen a ion-camp Do a. (The ac ion o
h
e long no el o
cc
u s du ing 1944-45.)
Al hough Ped o' s misad en u es aken o iew: «E a un cuad o ealmen e muy malo ...
se habían e
p
esen ado las uinas bambalinescas de una ciudad bomba deada» (73).
Ped o eac s o he pain ing as «un
p
esun o Dachau mas u ba o io,» while his iend
Ma ías ells him
h
a «Nada me
ha
eco dado más las cáma as de gas» (72).
Ano he s uc u al simila i y is he inclusion
o
Wa/pu gis
na
ch episodes. No elis
Juan Bene , a iend
o
Ma ín San os, has
w
i en ha he psychia is belie ed i
necessa y o « oda ob a li e a ia de en e gadu a» o include such scenes, which
in
Tiempo
de
silencio ake he o m
o
wo b o hel isi s
«e
n obediencia
al
canon
impues o
po
Mabbo S ee » ( 123).
In
addi ion o se e a! b o hel scenes
o
G a i y' s
Rainhow, Slo h opand he young wi ch Ge
li
celeb a e Walpu gisnac
h on
he B ocke
n,
al hough his occu s echnically «nea ly a mon h la e» (383).
The e a eo he
p
a allels. As men ioned ea lie , Slo h op h
as
come o Poin sman' s
a en ion be
ca
use a map
o
hi
s ecen amo ous ad en u es exac ly ep oduces he
loca ions
o
V-2 s ikes.
Th
is is e y odd, since wi h he ocke i is «Explosion i s ,
h
en he sound o app oach» (99).
ln
his
a
mous closing monologue, Ped o commen s:
«Es un
i
empo de silencio. La mejo máquina e
i
caz es la que no hace uido» 2
38).
Bo h au ho s make men ion
o
ou wo cha ac e s as caugh in a laby in h. Poin sman
has wande ed in o «a laby in h o condi ioned e lex w
o
k»
(1O1;
he me apho
ex ends h ougho
u
he book); he na a o desc ibes he p ison in w
hi
ch Ped o spends
a sho ime as « an cu ioso labe in o» ( 172).1 While in
hi
s cell, wi h i s na ow s one
1.
The exp ession « an cu ioso labe in o» occu s
o
en in
Spa
nish Golden Age wo ks.
My a icle «Fa e ul Laby in h
s:
La i·ida
es
s
11
e1
in
and The
C y
in
g
n
Ln
49,,
(
The
Co
mp
a
a
is
7
[1
983]: 57-72) deals in pa wi h he laby in h
i
gu
e
in
Calde ón and Pynchon.
Two Failed Scien is s: Tiempo de silencio' s Ped o and Pynchon' s Poin sman
55
co , Ped o s a es a a wall, upon which he e en ually d aws a me maid ( 177).
Poin sman's oom in The Whi e Visi a ion has a na ow
co
nex o a wall «habi ually
blank» ( 159),
bu
ins ead
o
d awing, he d eams. Bo h cha ac e s alk o hemsel es in
momen s
o
high s ess (TDS 177, GR 323).
A majo s uc u al simila i y is wha
one
migh
call
he «Nobel P ize/dogs»
mo i . Ped o and Poin sman sha e an obsessi e desi e
o
win a Nobel P ize o hei
espec i e esea ch e o s.
Ped o's
labo a o y con ains a po ai
o Ramón
San iago
y Caja!, who won he Nobel P ize o Medicine in 1906. Ne e e e ed o
by
name
in
he ex , «el homb e de la ba ba» who «lib ó al pueblo ibe o de su in e io idad na i a
an e la ciencia» (7) haun s Ped o, as do he dogs who a e o ced o sha e he labo a o y
wi h he exal ed po ai : «Y las posibilidades de epe i el ges o o pe del seño de la
ba ba an e el ey al o se ían
ya
no o almen e inexis en es, como aho a, sino además
g o escas» ( 10). Du ing his inal monologic ambligs, he ouches u pon «la i isección,»
hen he «pa abienes del ey de Suecia» (235).
In his um, Poin sman, who i s appea s on he scene wi h his oo caugh
in
a
oile -bowl du ing a noc u nal dog-chase, d i s
o
o
sleep,
a
e mas u ba ion,
hinking
o
S ockholm and « he yellow eleg am» (164-65). When we las encoun e
him in his d ea y Sub-minis y o ice, he is su p ised o ealize ha he ac ually misses
he «pack
o
slobbe ing cu s,» like Ped o associa ing hough s
o
he dogs2 wi h «a ls
Iock back a he doo
o
S ockholm»(878). Ped o o en hinks
o
he Nobel P ize in
conjunc ion wi h he po ai
o
Ramón y Caja!, while
o
Poin sman i
is
he ci y o
S ockholm which comes mos o en o mind.
Fo
bo h
o
ou
ailed scien is s, howe e ,
he oad o scien i ic glo y would
o
necessi y be pa ed wi h he su e ings
o
o he
sen ien beings, ic ims
o
he
would-be ic o s.
Tu ning now
o
a compa ison
o
he psychological p o iles
o
ou wo subjec s,
i
is
appa en ha hey a e much alike. A p ison o icial in Tiempo de silencio ells young
Ped o ha «Us edes, los in eligen es, son siemp e los más o pes» (203); he commen
applies equally well o he g aying «mas e beha io is » (Wol ey 100) Poin sman. The
wo scien is s, excessi ely a ionalis ic, sha e s ong ep essi e endencies. When
Ped o isi s he pain e ' s s udio and sees so ne opulen nudes pain ed by a iend
o
he
Ge man, he pain ings please him bu also cause him o ecall «sus p opias ep esio-
nes» (72). Al hough he is willing o ma y beau i ul Do i a a e ha ing been apped
in o spending a nigh wi h he , «No podía de ol e le las ca icias» when she kisses him
a e his elease om p ison: «La olup uosidad no enía impo ancia» (205). Poin sman,
who is unable o espond sa is ac o ily o Maudie' s ad ances a an o ice Ch is mas
pa y, is e en unable oexp ess an hones a ec ion o his Welsh colleague Gwendidwy:
2.
Pynchon's
ondness o dogs
is
e iden
in
he deligh ul inal desc ip ion
o he
dog
Desmond
in his la es no el:
« ace
ull
o
blue-jay ea he s, smiling
ou
o hís eyes ... »
(Vineland
385).
56
Ca o/e A. Holdswo h
«he's been oo shy, o p oud, e e
o
' e
smiled a [him] wi hou so ne kind
o
speec
h
o
explain and cancel ou he smile» (199).3 The wo lonely men ecognize
hei
in ellec ualis p oble n and e lec upon i in a e y simila o m: «Deseando:
Habe
i ido algo, habe encon ado una muje , habe sido capaz de abandona se como
o os
se abandonan. Deseando: No es a solo, es a
en
un
calo humano» (92).
«I
should ...
should ha e ... The e a e, in his his o y, so many
o
hese unmade mo es, so
many
'sho
uld ha
es'
-should ha e na ied he , ... been kinde » (164 ).
In
bo h passages,
he
p
e
ec e bal o ms inc ease he sense
o
was ed li es.
Ped o and Poin s nan also sha e anal-e o ic ai s.
When
Ped o a he
no el'
s
close is hinking abou his d ab u u e as a p o incial medica! doc o , he imagines
himsel ea ing «Pleu i is, pe ica di i
s,
panc ea i is. p u i o
de
ano» (234
},
a med
wi h
«
Un
manual diagnós ico del p u i o de ano de las aldeanas í genes» (236), ali
eady
o
ecei e in his consul ing- oom any «linda muje » who su e s om «p u i o de
ano»
(239). (Typically, he pauses o ep imand himse
l
ha shly o such hough s:
«Esca ológico, po nog á ico, siemp e pensando cochinadas. Es úpido, es úpido»
[236].) Fo Wol ey, i is mos app op ia e ha Poin sman i s appea s wi
h
his oo
in
che
oile -bowl, since he Pa lo ian is « he cen al igu e in Pynchon's a ack on
he
anal-e o
i
c cha ac e » (
111
).
A sha ed esul
o
hese sha ed psychological p oblems is ha Ped o
and
Poin sman expe ience an hallucina ion ( isual and audi o y, espec i ely) du ing
he
cou se
o
he wo ex s. When Ped o a ends a cock ail-pa y a e a simplis ic lec u e
deli e ed by a pe spec i is philosophe (possibly a pa ody
o
O ega y Gasse ),
he
b eaks
o
his con e sa ion abou cance - esea ch because he has hallucina ed he
sigh
o
he naked cada e
o
he abo ed gi l lying on he hickly elegan ca pe ( 141).
While Poin sman is on aca ion
a
he beach wi h so ne colleagues, he
«S
uddenly
goes
a bi men al» (319), hea ing a oice which u ges him o ake a ce ain unkind ac ion
so ha he can be Nayland Smi h and
Fu
Manchu a he same ime (323).
To
conclude his psychological p o ile, i is wo hy
o
no e ha Ped o
and
Poin sman sha e a p eoccupa ion wi h cas a ion.
In
Ped o's case, he opic appea s
du ing
hi
s ascina ing inal monologue, in he cou se
o
which occu s he ollowing
pa
ssage: «¿Po qué me es oy dejando capa ? ...
ni
si
quie a g i o mien as me capan.
Cuando cas aban los u cos sus escla os en
la
s playas de Ana olia ... , es cosa sabida
que se les dejaba en e ados en la a ena de la playa y que a muchas millas de dis ancia,
los na egan es en al a ma podían oi .
..
sus
g
i os
de
dolo . .. Pe o mejo es o de aho a ...
ni
siquie a se sien e dolo . .. Es un iempo de silencio» (237-38). Fo Ped o, cas a ion
3.
l
is in e es ing o no e ha a
c
i ic has desc ibed Agus ín, he p o agonis
o
Ma ín-
San os's
seco
nd (incomple e) no el, Tiempo de des ncción, in wo ds which would apply
pe ec ly o Poin sman: «la in ancia, ma cada po el signo de
la
ep esión .... cinismo,
pedan e ía, necesidad de ob ene
la
segu idad
que
con ie e el ca go público ... » (Maine 23).
Two Failed Scien ís s: Tiempo de silencio' s Ped o and Pynchon' s Poin sman 57
is a me apho o passi i y, Iack
o
cou age, inac ion;
his
passi e accep ance
o
his
dismissal om he Ins i u e seems o him unmanly, wha Ma ín-San os in his second,
incomple e, no el desc ibes
as
«la cas ación espi i ual,
el
o gullo ebajado, la
dejación de la g acia» (Tiempo de des ucción 235). Since Ped o is also a ep esen a i e
o
he Spanish in ellec ual unde F anco, his ques ion
«¿Po
qué me es oy dejando
capa ?»
is
na u ally no only di ec ed a himsel
asan
indi idual.
In G a i y' s Rainbow, Poin sman ac i ely seeks o
ha
e Slo h op cas a ed,
bu
a mix-up occu s, and he ic im is he
<<Ugly
Ame ican»
bigo
Majo Ma y. Pynchon 's
«Cas a ion episode» con ains a cu ious numbe o Spanish e e en s. When he
mili a y poli ce i s come a e Slo h op on Poin sman
's
o de s, Slo h op -d essed in
a el e pig
cos ume-
happens o be in a mili a y dispensa y,
o
which he pha macis
in cha ge is lis ening
o
a adio b oadcas
o
Ve di's
La
Fo
za del Des ino, based
o
cou se on Ri as's Roman ic play
La
ue za del sino. Slo h op hides in a b o hel,
as
did
Ped o a e he abo ion. Majo Ma y is also he e, wi h Manuela, «who is om he
As u ias which ... el [F anco'
s]
c uel y wo yea s be o e he ci il wa e en began o
he es
o
Spain» (705). Ma y, now wea ing he pig cos ume, is aken o he s and
o he ope a ion, « he
sandjus
solid enough
o
hold he ambulance» (709). As in he
case o he Tiempo de silencio passage quo ed abo e, he e is a cas a ion/sandy beach
associa ion. «Ya salimos de España ...
pa'
lucha en o os en es ... »
Ped o in disg ace a e he abo ion conside s himsel a spi i ual eunuch; i is
p ima ily he cas a ion mix-up which causes Poin sman's inal disg ace. Julia
K is e a has obse ed ha cas a ion
's
symbolic ex ension includes «ali ha is
p i
a
ion
o
ull illmen and
o
o ali y»; cas a ion is an ope a ion symbol
ic
o
exclusion and sepa a ion (
41
).
I
is hus eminen ly i ing ha he ailu es
o
Ped o and
Poin sman be linked wi h a powe ul symbol o psychological and socie al
ma ginaliza ion.
Tiempo de silencio, w i en by a scien is , has a scien is
as
i s p o agonis .
G a i y' s Rainbow, w i en by a o me enginee ing s uden well ead
in
scien i ic
li e a u e, coun s many scien is s among i s nume ous cha ac e s. Science i sel is
clea ly a majo hema ic componen
o
bo h ex s. Ma ín-San os and Pynchon ha e a
g ea deal
o
say on he subjec
o
science, and hei p esen a ions
o
Ped o and
Poin sman seem o me pa licula ly c ucial o an unde s anding
o
he wo no els.
Ped o is a young, middle-class p o incial who happens o ha e a g an
a
a
Mad id scien i ic Ins i u e, in o de o s udy cance ; he is no a ce i ied physicia
n.
Indeed, Ped o is quick o poin ou ha he is a esea che , no a medica! doc o :
«-
¡Ah! Us ed ... ¿Es us ed
médico?-Tal
ez mejo dicho, in es igado . Es oy haciendo
unos es udios sob e el cánce » ( l 37). While he is in elligen enough o ealize ha his
expe imen s a e unlikely o be g ound-b eaking,
he
plods along, d eaming
o
a
scien i ic glo y which will enable him o belong
o
he p i ileged uppe s a a o
socie y: «es a a iba, s
e
de ... los selec os, de los que es án más allá del bien y del
ma
l»
( 140). His esea ch p ojec , o ind a cu e o cance ,
is
o
cou se highly wo hwhile,

58 Ca o/e A. Holdswo h
bu his mo i a ion is a ally lawed, a om genuinely al uis ic. When he uns
ou
o
he
p ope
species
o
mice and mus
buy
hem back om
he
hie
Muecas,
he
is
ascina ed by he emole possibili y ha he
man's
young
daugh e
Flo i a, who
has
been in
close
con ac wi h
he
mi ce,
may
ha e
become
in ec ed wi h he ea ed
disease:
«¡Oh qué posibilidad apenas sospechada, apenas in uible, e e encialmen e
a endida
de
que una
-con
una bas aba-
de
las moci as púbe es oledanas hubie a con aído,
en
la
cohabi ación de la chabola, un cánce inguinoaxila o almen e imp opio de su
edad
y nunca
is o
en
la especie humana
que
demos a a
la
posibilidad
-¡al
in!-
de
una
ansmisión i ásica» (29). A e such a
passage
, wi h he emendous i ony
o
he
ph ase
«con
una bas aba,» i is amazing o
me
ha
c i ics
o
he
no el ha e no
ended
o
judge
Ped o
mo e
ha shly.4
The
en i e no el is pe mea ed wi h
Ma ín-San os's
indic men
o
«ou con empo a y he o, he man
o
science»
(Luna
241 ),
an
indic men
e en
mo e
bi ing o being in
pa a
sel -indic men as well -one may ecall
Bene 's
e e ence o « odo lo que sob e él [Ma ín San os] se
ha
dicho ... sob e su
a ogancia
in elec ual,
su
a ición al eli ismo, y cie a p ocli idad hacia el pode » (131
).
No
only
is Ped o qui e disposed
o
sac i ice, igu a i ely, Flo i a
on
he
al a
o
Science,
he
pe o ms a su gical p ocedu e a e
he
bo ched abo ion
wi hou
being quali ied
o
do
so; his assis an Amado e lec s ha
he
young
man
«no sa
bía
hace lo. Se eía que
e a
la
p ime a ez ... sin oma le
el
pulso, sin
pedi
ayuda» (159).
Ped o
is a he d unk
a
he ime,
i
is ue, bu i is his p ide and scien i ic in e es in
he
gi l -no al uism-
which
caused
him o accede o he inces uous
a he 's
wishes.
By
no means, howe e ,
do
1
wish
o
gi e
he
imp ession ha 1 conside
Ped o
«e il.»
He
does no wish consciously
o
ha m anyone, and he
e en
eels a ce ain
pi y
o
he
labo a o y
dogs
.~
He
is young,
he
has
been
ained in
he
«posi i is
p og am
o o ce mul i o m inde e minancies in o speci ic slo s» (Hayles 185), and he eels
conside able guil : «¿Po
qu
é u is e
qu
e
bebe
an o aquella noche? ... Es á
p ohibido
conduci bo acho y ú ...
ú
... » (176).
Much
ea lie he had
had
doub s abou
his
oca ion; in he dep hs
o
bis soul, he ecognizes he s i ings
o
Faus ian p ide: «
Le
pa
ecía
que
quizá su ocación no hubie a
sido
cla a, que
quizá
no
e a
sólo
el
cánce
lo
que
podía hace que los os os
se
de o ma an» (45).
Ped o
is basically a
«pob
e
in eliz,» as his as u e elde ly landlady
obse e
s (177).
An
ambi ious young
man
la
cking in imagina ion, ep essed, mechanical, egois ic, a e d awing a me maid
on
his cell wall, he e lec s
ha -unlike
he amous ai y- ale
me maid-h
is me ma
id
«no
es
á
dispues a a di idi su
cola
con un cuchillo po que no ama»
(1
77-my
i alics).
4. Fo ins ance, Feal has w i en ha «Ped o
es
la
íc ima (mas no del odo inocen e) de
un
sis ema donde se
exa
l an los alo es espi i uales en de imen o de los ins in i o
s»
(210).
5. I es-Ma ie Léone has ema ked ha Pynchon «implici ly dis inguishes be ween
good and bad science» (45, no e 11); while 1 belie e ha we a e essen ially in ag eemen , I
should p e e he ollowing wo ding: «good and bad uses
o
science.»
Two Failed Scien is s: Tiempo de silencio's Ped o and Pynchon
's
Poin sman 59
A one poin in he ex he e occu s a well-known passage con aining a « also
panegí ico» (Buckley 208)
o
science;
i
begins as ollows: «Que la ciencia más que
ninguna
de
las o as ac i idades
de
la humanidad ha modi icado la ida del homb e
sob e la ie a es enido
po
e dad indubi able»
(206).
I his eally a « also
panegí ico»
o
science?
Fo me,
i
is an a ack no upon science, which canno be ei he
good
o
bad in i sel , bu a he
on
hose scien is s who
allow
hemsel es o
be
engul ed
in he «enajenación del ideal cien í ico» (Buckley 208)
and
ans o med in o quasi-
au oma a: «las alanges
de
la ciencia ma chan así en
g andes
pelo ones bien o gani-
zadas» (207).
Fo me
, Ped o is no con empo a y don
Quijo e
who ails because his
«ideal» u ns
ou
o
be
«imp ac icable»
in
oday's wo ld (Buckley 208).
A
he end
o
he no el Ped o is a ho oughly de ea ed man: «Yo el des uido, yo el homb e
al
que
no
se
le dejó que hicie a lo que enía que hace » (236). 1
ind
o ally un enable he iew
ha he no el's closing pages e eal «la 'de o a del
jus o
'» a p o agonis who
« oda ía piensa, y con ello
se
sal agua dan el homb e y
el
po eni » (Geo gescu 119-
20). As Gil y Casado has ema ked,
Ped o's
exis ence has been desc ibed as «una
p olongada se ie
de
acasos»; he is le wi h «en esumen una o al desespe anza»
(477).
The
cause
o
his indi idual disas e is no science in he abs ac , he cause is
he scien is s's excessi e desi e o con ol: «la ne
ces
idad
de
es ablece en cada
ho migue o humano un a modo de eloj en mo imien o incesan e o
de
mecanismo
inde inidamen e pe ec ible ... pa a que se log e un máximum
de
endimien o y
de
dis u e:
de
pode sob e los en es na u ales,
de
conocimien o
de
las causas de las cosas»
(206) - a
clea
p e igu a ion
o
Poin
sma
n's
«s one de e minancy
o
e e y hing,
o
e e y soul» (99-100).
Edwa d Poin sman
is
in many ways a nega i e image
o
don Ped o. Ped o' s you h,
ela i ely low social s anding, in ellec ualism, ambi ion, ep essions
-all
ha e been ei he
e e sed, wi h nega i e e ec ,
o
inc eased, wi h nega i e e ec , in he cha ac e
o
Poin sman. The beha io is is a Royal Fellow, a «high-class i isec ionis » ( 42) who d i es
a Jagua . While Ped o is o a ce ain ex en mechanis
i
c andcha ac e izedby a « acionalismo
mó bido» (62), he Pa lo ian «s ands o s ic de e minism and p edic abili y
o
ma e ial
as well as psychic e en s» (F iedman and Pue z 73). We as eade s na u ally espond
wi
h
conside able sympa hy o Ped o' s
de
si e o ind a cu e o cance , bu Poin sman' s a emp
o es ablish he «S one de e minancy o ... e e y soul» (my i alics) causes us o ecoil. I is
ce ainly ue ha Ped o hopes ha Flo i a migh ha e become in ec ed, bu he ne e ac s
on his hope. He ope a es illegally, bu e en he mo he ealizes ha he did no cause
h
e
young woman's dea h (202).
Poin
sma
n, on he
o he
hand, akes
di
ec ac ions
which
lead o he
«disin eg a ion»
o
Slo h op, as well as o he dea h
o
B igadie Pudding. Slo h op
obsesses he beha io is ,
who
is de e mined o disco e he sec e
ca
use and
e
ec
pa e n in ha « uly classical case» (55): «We
ma
y inally ha e
o
s a e, e o ize ... »
( 104)- «The man will su e -pe haps, in so ne clinic
al
way, be des oyed» ( 168).
Bu
nci he is Poin sman a mons e . Like Ped o, he is sea ching o he cause
o
wha he
60
Ca o/e A.
Holdswo h
a
leas conside s a dange ous illness: «E en
i
he
Ame ican
's
no legally a
mu de e ,
he is sick.
The
e iology ough o
be
aced, he ea men ound ... 'We mus ne e
lose
con ol. [i alics in
he
o iginal]
The
hough
o
him
los
in
he
wo ld
o
men ... ills
me
wi h a d
eep
d ead 1 canno ex inguish
'»
(l
68, 169
).
Poin sman can be conside ed in himsel he coun e pa
o
Ma ín-San os'
s
« also panegí ico»
o
science.
The
«e il Poin sman,« a c i ic
has
called him (S a k
97),
bu I conside he be
ha
io is a a he pa he ic cha ac e ,
an
exemplum
o
wha
can
happen when a scien is becomes a ana ic, a con empo a y inquisi o eady o
des oy
any «he e ic» who da es o challenge his mechanis ic «s e ile a mamen a ium»
(878).
Jessica Swanlake sen ses in he Pa lo ian
's
cha ac e
«a
bleakness
whene e she
mee s
him ... Hands ha could as well o u e people
as
dog
s and
ne e
eel hei pain»
(67)
.
When Poin sman ies o con ince Roge Mexico, he s a is ician who is
in
man y
ways
his opposi e because
o
Ro
ge
's
belie ha i
may
be necessa y soon « o junk
cause-
and-e ec en i ely» ( 103), he smile he olde
man
bes ows u
pon
Mexico e i ies
him
as he
«mos
e il Jook he has e e had om a human being» ( 103). No e, howe e ,
ha
he look is desc ibed
as
e i
l, no Poin sman himsel . The
e
il lies p ecisely in
h
e
smile
's
«assump ion
o
b o he hood»
- he
b o he hood
o
scie
nce. Roge is
e i ied
because
he
is awa e
o
he
e ible dange s o which such a adical misunde s anding
o
scien
ce
can lead, pa icula ly -in be wo ds
o
Ma ín-San os-
he acqui ing
o
«pode sob e los en es na u ales» (206):
«'
We
bo h ha e Slo h op,' is wha Poin s
man
has
jus
said» (103).
The e
is some hing g o esque abou bo h
ou
scien is s; we
can
no e in bo h
hei
cha ac e s wha Unamuno called in 1902 «
la
s idiculeces a
que
lle a
la
ciencia
mal
en endida» (9).
A
he close
o bo h
no els, Ped o and Poin sman a e examples
o he
«ex-scien is » (GR 878). Pynchon, R. Poi ie has obse ed,
is
a «g ea no elis
o
be ayal» (29). Bo h
Ped o
and
Poin sman, al hough o a les se and
o
a g ea e
deg ee
,
ha e be ayed he lo y ideals
o
ue science.
In
Tiempo de silencio and in G a i y' s Rainbow, Luis Ma ín-San os and
Thomas
Pynchon ha e u ilized hecha ac e s
o
don Ped o andEdwa d Poin sman as exp essions
o
hei p o ound in e es in and
concem
o he ole
o
he scien is in
ou
inc easingly
science-domina ed age.
The
wo cha ac e s a e also,
o
necessi y, in ol ed wi h
he
philosophical opic
o
human
eedom, which p eoccupies bo h no elis s.
Ma ín-
San os's
Ped o wan s despe a ely o beli
e e
in
ee will,
bu
ails. Du ing his
p ison
monologue, he ema ks: «Ti
ene
s libe ad pa a elegi el dibujo que ú quie es
hace
...
E es un
se
lib e pa a dibuja cualquie
dibujo
... y nadie e lo puede impedi . ..
¡Imbécil!» (180)
In
his inal monologue, while p epa ing o ake a ain o he
p o inces, he a emp s o console himse
l
as
ollows: «¿Pe o qué iba a
hace
yo? ... Si
la cosa es á dispues a así.
No
hay nada que modi ica .» (234) As we ha e seen,
Ped o
is
a ailu e in la ge pa because
o
his lack
o
wi
ll
,
hi
s passi e yielding o he clima e
o
he « ime
o
silence»:
«¿P
o
qué me es oy dejando capa
?
» (237) Di ec ly a e his
ques ion occu s a passage
o
pa icula impo ance, which 1 shall ci e in i s en i e y:
Two Failed Scien is s:
Tiempo
de
silencio'
s Ped o and Pynchon' s Poin sman 61
«El homb e álico de
la
go a oja e minada en
pun a
de cilind o ojo con
su
ecundidad inago able pa a la p oducción de
mo imien os
ec ilíneos,
ahí
se es á
paseando o gulloso de su g an p epucio ojo-ce álico,
con
su
pi o en
la
mano, con un
palo
en ollado, do ado de múl iples a ibu os que
de
senca
dena ían la
ma
cha
e ec a del
ó gano gigan e que
se
cla a ía
en
el ien e de las
mon añas,
mien as
yo
me es oy
dejando capa » (237). Ped o
he
e con as s his own
pa
ssi i y wi h
he
powe o
con ol
o
he ail oad swi chman, he poin sman.
I
is
a
leas possible ha Tiempo de silencio' s don Ped o in luenced he
cha ac e iza ion
o
Pynchon
's
edoub able
Poin sman,
he inca na ion
o
s ic
de e minancy:
«See
he man back he e. He is called
he
poin sman. He is called ha
because
he
h ows he le e ha changes he poin s»
(75
1)
.6 Pynchon, umo ed
o
ha e
li ed in
Mexico,
has e ealed a conside able
hnowledge
o
Spanish li e a u e
in
his
w i ings.7 G a i y' s Rainbow con ains quo a ions omMa ín Fie o in Spanish ( 450),
and Pynchon el con iden enough o p aise
he
G ossman
ansla ion
o
Lo e in he
Time
o
Cho/e a o accu acy, al hough
he
modes ly
s a es
ha his «Spanish
isn'
pe ec » («The
Hea 's
E e nal
Vow)>
49).
In
any
case
, Geo ge Leeson's excellen
ansla ion
o he
Ma ín-San os no el appea ed in 19648
and
was e iewed in The New
Yo k Times
Book
Re iew
o
No embe 29, 1964.
As we ha e seen, he e a e many «poin s
)>
o
con ac beween Ped o
and
Poin sman. A is ic c ea ion, howe e , is
no a
simple
ma e
o
cause and e ec ;
Ped o
is no he «cause»
o
Poin sman. Ye i seems o
me
ha he e is indeed a possibili
y
ha
Pynchon
had ead he Spanish ex . because
o
he
ma ked simila i ies
in
he
p esen a ion
o
he wo cha ac e s:
<<Po
una
simple
cues ión
de
sime ía» (TDS 240),
«Beca
use
o
he
symme y» (GR 168).
WORKS CITED
BENET,
JUAN.
O oño
en
Mad id hacia 1950. Mad id: Alianza Edi o ial,
19
87.
BUCKLEY,
RAMÓN.
P
oblemas o males en la no ela española con empo ánea.
Mad id: Ediciones Península, 1973.
6.
Tbe
igu e
o
he poin sman occu s also in Pynchon's second no el: «Whe e we e
Sec e a ies James and Fos e and Sena o Joseph. hose dea da numina who' d mo he ed o e
Oedipa's so empe a e you h?
In
ano he wo ld. Along ano h
e
pa e n
o ack,
ano he s ing
o
decisions aken, swi ches closed, he aceless poin smen
who'd
h own hem now ali
ans e ed, dese ed, in s i .
..
» (The C ying
o
Lo 49 76
).
7. The p esen s udy, as well as se e a! o he s now
in
p in , is o igu e in my in-p og ess
monog aph on Pynchon' s «Hispanic Connec ion.»
8. The Leeson ansla ion, o iginally published
by
Ha cou B ace Jo ano ich, Inc., has
been eissued as a Columbia UP Mo ningside Edi ion ( 1989).