The Humor of Lot 49

The first time I attempted to read The Crying of Lot 49 it did not go so well. I was forced to read the first two chapters twice. It was quite frustrating because I didn’t comprehend the humor in it. After reading further into the novel and understanding, the characters I started to catch onto the whit of Oedipa and fully realize the oddities she was put through. The humor in the book was probably my favorite part. It is a different type of humor though because it’s not “in your face humor”, this humor grows as you read and it makes you become more attached to the characters. I also thought the word WASTE was an interesting part of the novel.
I particularly enjoyed the part when Oedipa is pulled into the deaf/mute dance at the hotel. I thought it was so funny when she was talking about how she was just waiting to have a collision with another couple and how each person had a different tune in their head. Another part that was amusing was when Oedipa was talking with Mucho’s boss and he was telling her that Mucho has changed. The line when she says, “pray, has he been, Ringo Starr?” I think this really shows Oed’s character and how she sticks up to her husband’s boss.
The word WASTE has a few meanings that are relevant to the novel. I believe that the most important meaning is that wasteful nature that human beings possess. It is shown throughout the book that people waste so many things and are not appreciative of what they have. All of those poor people who attempted suicide had such a hard time while other was concerned with much less important facets of their lives. Overall, I did not really enjoy the plot of the book, but I did like the characters and the humor it brought to the reader.