Maxwell’s Demon part (pg. 84-86)
In this section, there is obviously the problem of communication again. Along with Oedipa’s issue with seeing communication with the Trystero and this bit with Oedipa trying to get meaning out of the Maxwell’s Demon. This seems to be mirroring–among other things–the readers, as Oedipa is desperately trying to see something move, and she has to convince herself that it was just a flicker of her eye not an actual communication. This seems to be the same process the reader is going through in trying to find connections within the book and then questioning whether these are actual connections, or if we are just stretching a bit to get some meaning. I certainly feel this way, and I keep wanting to just finish the book entirely, so I can know what I”m supposed to be looking for and come back and read again with a better ability to examine it. Anyway, Oedipa is obviously confused–and getting more confused as the chapter progresses, it seems–and she is trying to figure out if she is actually seeing all these connections and meaningful communications or if they are just coincidental. She even seems to be mirroring the reader’s skepticism in thinking that this is just Oedipa’s crazy world when she questions Nefastis, “But what if the Demon exists only because the two equations look alike? Because of the metaphor?” It seems like the author is trying to blur the lines even more by portraying Nefastis is the insane one here while Oedipa is more sane, making us wonder whether Oedipa is actually in the right state of mind and these odd events really are just happening, or if this is just another metaphor for Oedipa’s state of mind and the reader being in a crazy world of pretend.
