Escapism

By the end of chapter one, the reader is well aware of the consequences Oedipa has to face/suffer as the result of her ex-boyfriend's death. Through the context of this chapter, Oedipa has already convinced herself that she is not capable of executing the will due to her lack of insight, and the enormity of her tasks at hand. We know and she knows that she cannot depend on her husband for assistance. Oedipa makes it clear that she has been examining her husband's mental stability for quite some time due to his everlasting connection with the used car dealership. Oedipa also portrays mental instability of her own. After speculating the cause of death of Pierce Inverarity, she laughs out loud, proclaiming how sick she is. Not only was she aware of how "out of taste" her speculation was, she believes the room is aware as well, suggesting that there has been more than one occasion where she has made such observations of her character. Oedipa experiences a hallucination of Uncle Sam pointing his finger directly at her during a 3 AM phone call by her psychotherapist. So we already know that Oedipa has internal issues, but entirely unaware of the causes. After her meeting with the family lawyer as suggested by her husband, Oedipa provides some clues as to what troubles her.

Most of us, no matter how busy or studious we claim we are, experience escapism in various forms. Whether daydreaming during a class lecture, reading our favorite novel, or owning "noobs" on the 360, escapism has integrated itself into most of our daily routines. For some, like me, escapism is a requirement to preserve our sanity throughout the year. Why is escapism so desirable, or rather, why is escapism so necessary? Specifically, what does a form of escapism suggest about the participant's ideology or lifestyle? Thomas Pynchon's essay, "A Journey into the Mind of Watts", provides insight to these questions in his analysis of the racial tension of Watts in the city of Los Angeles in 1966. Pynchon describes Watts as a "pocket of bitter reality" engulfed by the illusions of the rest of white Los Angeles. This white L.A. Scene is a concoction of artificial, materialistic, and superfluous ingredients consisting of magazine photos, one-hit-wonders, the media, etc. Pynchon suggests that young members of white L.A. "... have been conditioned to believe so much in escape, escape as an integral part of life, because the white L.A. Scene makes accessible to him so many different forms of it." From this context, accessibility not only pertains to one's environment and setting, but also social and economic status. As young adults with the profession of "college students", we have been conditioned to believe that we need to "get away" every once in a while. Whatever the form of escapism, it is our way of dealing with the stress and tension that develops from our lifestyles. Being a college student is a test of balancing quality work and escapism, where consequences are to be suffered if either outweighs the other. Examples of these consequences include failing to socialize and be physically active, or failing to complete an assignment or study for an exam. Escapism in itself is an illusion, as it is only a temporary measure to ease our stress. We put on our happy masks at the end of the week and say “TGIF”, only to find ourselves dragging our feet Monday mornings. Escapism can be subtle or extreme, but for some it is never experienced at all.

At the end of chapter one, Oedipa visualizes herself as a type of Rapunzel trapped in a tall tower waiting for someone to ask to let her hair down. By the end of her revelation, her conclusion suggests that she has not experienced her own form of escape, and has been denied of that experience as a result of her relationship with Pierce. This sort of fantasy of being the damsel in distress, only to have a Prince Charming sweep her off her feet, or in her case climb up her hair and rescue her, establishes the element of illusion which embodies escapism. The origin of her longing for escapism is explained by the effects of some cryptic external force. This is not very different from Pynchon’s statement on escapism as a conditioned desire, established by its accessibility to the participant. Accessibility, depending on the context, has various definitions; allowing external influence to be a cause of one’s desire to commit to self-discovery. Humans are complex, and in this sense, Oedipa's thought process is not at all different from the reader’s.