Today in class we talked about the relevance of satire. I think that the concept of metaphor ties in closely with the development of satire as well. In Gun, With Occasional Music there is more than a little metaphor to be had. The trick is deciphering it. Interpretations can take many cunning forms and it is, therefore, a taxing endeavor to scrutinize every level of satirical writing. But we must take the labors to do this, for this is the epitome of skill and meaning for the writer. So, I’m going to try to decode two metaphors that are relevant to the reading we did today.

In chapter 21 Metcalf goes to meet a fellow PI named Walter Surface. The reader is lead to believe that Surface is human, but when Metcalf arrives he is surprised as we are to find that Surface is actually an evolved ape. Why is it that the only other PI that appears in the novel is an ape? I think that Lethem is commenting on the archetype of the PI. The PI of legend is gruff, brute, and as simple as his world will allow him to be; like an ape.

Alright, now I want to deal with this issue of Metcalf’s shortcomings (I intended that pun). At first, I thought that Metcalf’s girl just ran away with his penis. But when you read into it further you realize that he still has his own private dick (I intended that one too). His nerve endings are just reversed. I mean he seems to be able to get laid just fine (chapter 27). So, here’s what I think is going on. I think that Lethem is commenting on the tendency of the traditional PI to pass on ass that no one else would. Chandler’s PI has a spider-sense for detecting honey-traps and knowing when to shake off a woman’s advances. Yeah right folks. I don’t care who you are, if a girl throws herself at you, or on top of you, you’re not going to throw her back off. You may have second thoughts, but I think it would be wrong to suggest that the majority of us wouldn't deal with the moral implications after the fact. Lethem is heavily satirizing this aspect of the PI archetype.

-Jason