Projecting a World

The passage I chose this week stems from Oedipa’s dilemma with Pierce’s estate, located on page 65, “Shall I project a world? If not project then at least flash some arrow on the dome to skitter among constellations and trace out your Dragon, Whale, Southern Cross. Anything might help.”

This idea of “projecting a world” comes from the painting Oedipa saw while on a trip to Mexico with Pierce. The women in the painting are projecting a world through the tapestry that encompasses everything. This was referenced to in the book on page 11. At that time Oedipa felt like a trapped maiden in the tower, being held by the power of the man dressed in black that controlled the thread. However, at this point in the book it seems as though Oedipa has more control on her life. She isn’t the maiden anymore, but the man dressed in black. She holds a lot of information and she’s wondering if she should project this information to the world. When she says, “Anything might help,” it makes me question whether this is for her sake or for the sake of Pierce’s jumbled estate. All the information she holds up to this point is scattered and the connections don’t seem to be there. By projecting it to the world perhaps Oedipa will kill two birds with one stone. Her sanity won’t be questioned any longer and she will finally be able to make sense of Pierce’s estate. However, before this projection occurs, Oedipa must acquire more information or establish some connections.