An Existentialist Interpretation of Conquering Anxiety and Dysfunctional Communication in Postmodern Fiction: A Case Study Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49

Abstract

The Crying of Lot 49 is a postmodern novel that parodies the detective fiction genre to symbolize the meaningless struggle for truth, and uses metafictional narrative to communicate with the reader and highlight the importance of personal interpretation in constructing meaning, which can be considered the moral lesson of the novel. The novel is injected with psychology references, which allows for a simple psychoanalytical approach. Oedipa’s psyche is confused by everything and everyone around her, she suffers from paranoia and anxiety, and unconsciously employs defence mechanisms to help herself cope with insecurities that might have been caused by the patriarchal society that attempts to suppress her gender identity and assimilate her into stereotypes.