Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (TCOL49 Chp 1-3)

The first chapters of this eccentric novel already introduce the essence of it. It discusses subjects that are not normal, subjects that can make you feel uncomfortable, but as Pynchon posses them, they are able to mock the life out of any possible serious subject. It is a society of weirdness, eerie out of any thing common. But the nucleus of the novel is how the weirdness is fused with in what is natural for a character in the novel. A glimpse of it comes, with a call from the doctor (usually the other way around): "She finally, having nothing she knew of to lose, had taken it. It was Dr. Hilarius, her shrink or psychotherapist... he was helping the community hospital run on effects of LSD-25" (Pynchon 7-8).

From this quotation so much can be extracted. To begin with, Oedipa not knowing what she has to lose. No sense of health or life is present. Though, she has not taken the pills for fear but it is unclear what kind of fear, either for life or for what.

Then, the actual spelling for "Dr. Hilarius", also makes fun of the actual word, and of him having it and being a doctor. It can get to be "hilarious". He offers the hospital LSD, a common narcotic that makes you hallucinate out of reality, bringing you to a better place thanks to the "trips" this acid provides. This is like the story within a story. Rather than the unreal life of the characters is tried to be replaced to a wacky life with LSD, but their life is already weird.

Oedipa has trouble with relationships, furthermore with commitments, because she indecisive with her partners, Roseman, Mucho, and Pierce.

This is only the beginning.