Chapter 1: Section 1: Page 5: Line 34

 "And when we get to Chicago we'll find us a 'hock shop' a-and—"

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Discussing the last line would have gone better if this line were discussed at the same time but Pynchon screwed up. Usually, he throws in another comma, uncapitalizes the first letter of the continuation of the quote, and makes my life easier (ha ha! Imagine! Reading Pynchon somehow making my life easier! More thoroughly enjoyable, sure. But when was the last time I had to work so hard at feeling joy and experiencing various levels of emotional ecstasy?! I could just as easily eat a pint of ice cream!). But this time he decided to separate the two halves of Chick's statement with a full stop. What a jerk.

So obviously this is just a continuation of the previous statement explaining why Chick wants the silverware. Apparently he doesn't have a fetish for the shiny utensils. He just wants to sell them for some quick cash that he'll just blow at the Chicago World's Fair. Remember that? It seemed so long ago that we learned that's where the kids are going! It's a good thing Pynchon reminded me in this sentence because I almost forgot. I can't wait to spend 1000 pages following these kids and their adventures at the Columbian Exposition!

That was a dramatically ironic moment for people who have already read this book and know how disappointed I'm going to wind up being!

The main question (and the follow up to the main question) this line asks is this: "What is wrong with Pynchon's typewriter? And why does it always type 'and' as 'a-and'?" For awhile, I just thought it was the way Prentice stuttered in his thoughts. I have lots of thought stutter moments. But then I thought maybe Slothrop had that issue. And then I thought maybe all of Pynchon's characters had that issue, including the omniscient (or semi-omniscient? Is that a thing?) narrator. But now I suspect it's just his typewriter. I bet it's haunted by a ghost with a nervous tic.

Anyway, this line offers more evidence that Chick Counterfly is a disreputable jerk. But remember what Miles thought: it's because of the environment he was raised in! Now that he's an aeronaut and the member of a tight-knit crew, he'll probably learn the value of teamwork because as you know, it's gonna work!