Chapter 1: Section 7: Page 62: Line 108 (1090)

 Separated by a couple-three letters in name as if alphabetically double-refracted, you could say. . . .

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Let's not forget Merle's drunk while coming up with this theory lest we eviscerate him too harshly. But then I also shouldn't forget that Thomas Pynchon's books are historical fantasies where pretty much anything can be true. I already have no trouble believing that Lew Basnight can hop dimensions, traveling from one timeline to another, possibly even going from the real world to a work of fiction (as opposed to hopping from one fictional Chicago to another). I believe that Randolph St. Cosmo is an angel based on the character Orc from William Blake's America A Prophecy. I believe Pugnax, based on a cartoon character that doesn't yet exist in the novel's timeline, can read. Why shouldn't I also believe that Blinky Morgan and Edward Morley are the same person split in two by some kind of flesh double-refraction invention. Maybe Edward, as a small child, walked into a brick wall one day, diverting himself in one direction while Blinky bounced off at a perpendicular direction (or just came out through the other side?). This could explain why Blinky became a scofflaw and a thief because he found himself all alone and having to fend for himself at a young age. It's like that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where they find a clone of Riker stranded on a planet for years. A clone that, may I say, proves Barkley's theory correct that the Federation's teleportation system doesn't work as suspected; it's actually a suicide/cloning machine. It kills the real person and just creates a clone at the destination. How else can you explain a double-refracted William Riker creating Thomas Riker?

I will say the similar name minus the couple-three letters convinced me more than their pictures. That doesn't mean I'm gullible and easily convinced of bullshit; it just means the pictures look so dissimilar one to the other that the spelling of the names was a greater argument for the double-refraction. 

Chapter 1: Section 6: Pages 55-56: Line 187 (981)

 The Colorado Silver Mining Camp, like the other former exhibits, was occupied now by drifters, squatters, mothers with nursing infants, hell-raisers hired for the run of the Fair, now, their market value having vanished, returned to the consolations of drink, dogs and cats who preferred the company of their own species, some who still bore memories of Pugnax and his conversation, and excursions they had been out on.

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"Colorado Silver Mining Camp"
Colorado is where Lew has headed off to, perhaps just as fake as this Colorado, being the Frontier has gone and what is Lew's reality anyway?

"drifters, squatters, mothers with nursing infants, hell-raisers hired for the run of the Fair"
All people, not just the hell-raisers, who have zero market value and are just seen by the market as burdens, leeches, and blemishes on society. It also feels like an apt description of the cast of The Grapes of Wrath except for the infant who should be a grown man because Rose's infant died but she still had milk to give. Spoiler!

"dogs and cats who preferred the company of their own species"
Ambiguous but I think the "who preferred the company of their own species" refers only to cats because dogs fucking love everyone.

"some who still bore memories of Pugnax and his conversation, and excursions they had been out on"
Well this explains what Pugnax was up to while the Chums ate crappy sandwiches and got day drunk on cheap wine. Dirty old Pugnax making time with the locals while the Chums were verging on suicide via boredom. Pretty sure this suggests that Pugnax had sex with at least one cat while at the Fair.

Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 54: Line 169 (963)

 The other danger was less easy to speak of, and everyone—except possibly Pugnax, whose thoughts were difficult of access—found themselves speaking in euphemisms.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sometimes sky pilots kill themselves. Although, is not having a gun really much of a deterrent to suicide aboard an airship? It's more likely if a Chum found themselves depressed or ashamed or broken-hearted, wouldn't going for a gun in the armory take quite a bit more time than simply strolling over the side of the deck?

"except possibly Pugnax"
What a weird moment to remind everybody about Pugnax! He was the least of my worries about causing harm with a gun and he's even less of a worry for committing suicide! Puppy power!

Chapter 1: Section 4: Page 30: Line 89 (461)

 They went off to a steak house nearby for lunch.

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I think the word "nearby" is being stretched beyond its limits. They're in the field of balloons somewhere outside Chicago. How "nearby" can a steak house be? Maybe, because of The Stockyards, steak houses have proliferated to the point of nuisance. Maybe by "steak house," Pynchon means a house made out of the extra beefsteaks the Bindlestiffs of the Blue brought along to calm other aeronauts' guard dogs after which they could raid the camps abandoned by young men rushing off to see naked women at the Fair?

Where is Pugnax during all of this?

Chapter 1: Section 4: Page 27: Line 28 (400)

 A fellow scarcely knew after a while where to look—

* * * * * * * * * *

The "fellow" in this line is probably a reader of Pynchon. And all of the various mechanical flying contraptions are the themes within his books. Pynchon is showing us that while his themes are extravagantly different from each other, one to the next, they still all relate in one key way: they are all flying machines.

I don't mean to suggest all of his themes are about flying! That was just part of the analogy or metaphor inherent in the subtext of Merle's observation! I don't know, exactly, what the relationship of all of the themes Pynchon is exploring might be. I don't even know what all of the themes are! I've pointed out a few, like light and labor rights and imperialism and racism and Star Trek and technology. But I haven't read the entire book so I'm probably missing a lot of them. But even if I had read the entire book, I'd still probably miss a lot of themes because they concern aspects of life to which I'm barely attuned. Plus, I'd probably not know how they all relate seeing as how I've read Gravity's Rainbow one and a half times (at the moment! It'll soon be two! I swear it!) and I don't think I'd be able to explain it very well. It has something to do with escaping the system by somehow extricating yourself from the eyes and ears of the powers that be, of somehow accepting that you'll never know or control everything and maybe you just need to make peace with that. It has something to do with shoving your sex slave into a rocket and blasting him into oblivion wrapped in a material that might have been used to give a poor little baby a hard-on decades earlier. Whatever it's about, it's a fantastic read and worth it simply because every section is like a short story delving into the philosophy of some aspect of modern life. I'm not sure you even need to read the book straight through to truly enjoy it.

Anyway, the fellow scarcely knowing where to look after a while is just a person reading and trying to understand the newest Pynchon novel. It's as obvious as Pugnax being a Scrappy Doo insert.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 130 (235)

 As Darby and Chick watched, out of the evening came a giant beefsteak, soaring in an arc, slowly rotating, and hit the dirt almost exactly between Pugnax's front paws, where he regarded it for a while, a single eyebrow raised, one would have to say, disdainfully.

* * * * * * * * * *

"beefsteak"
I thought the definition of beefsteak would be more interesting than "a thick cut of beef" but that's pretty much it. It's really the same definition as steak so I don't know why there are two words for it. Was there a time in our country's history when somebody would offer you a steak and you'd accept and then they'd give you a steak from a crocodile's ass? So people had to start specifying they want "beefsteak" so that they wouldn't be tricked into eating a crocodile's butthole?
    Judging by Pugnax's reaction to the beefsteak, he probably would have preferred the croc's butthole.

"As Darby and Chick watched"
This is code, like in a British crossword puzzle (or cryptic crossword as they're known in America), that means "the following sentence should be viewed as a scene from a movie." See the following note!

"soaring in an arc, slowly rotating"
This is one of those scenes where Pynchon thinks he's directing a movie. I also picture Pugnax looking at the steak and then looking directly into the camera to make his disdainful expression. Then the audience roars with laughter even though this scene was prominently featured in the trailer and they'd all already seen it. Maybe the laughter was more of the "Oh yeah! I remember seeing this in the trailer! Remember seeing this in the trailer, other movie goers also laughing uproariously?! Oh ho ho! So good, that first time I saw this. But better now because I get to experience it again while also experiencing the memory of the first time I laughed at it!"

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 129 (234)

 Pugnax stood his ground but had ceased barking, apparently judging the visitors nasally acceptable.

* * * * * * * * * *

"nasally acceptable"
I don't know what smells a dog finds non-threatening but judging by the kinds of things they love to eat and roll around in, I'd rather smell threatening to a dog than non-threatening. Pugnax is the character insert for Scrappy Doo and I don't know what smells Scrappy loved. Boxing shorts after a long bout? The smell of a shin guard after it's been peeled off a shin after a lengthy match? Scooby Doo's butthole? If Pugnax were the character insert of Scooby Doo, I'd assume the visitors were covered in meatball subs.

Pugnax is also the character insert of the audience so Pugnax feeling calmer about the new characters makes me feel calmer about the new characters because I know Pugnax feels what I feel and thinks what I think therefore the reverse of that is also true.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 128 (233)

 "Here you go," called an invisible voice, "nice doggy!"

* * * * * * * * * *

Can you pet the dog in Pynchon's Against the Day?

No.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 127 (232)

 They found Pugnax up on his feet, clenched and alert, watching the outer darkness intently—from what the boys could tell, poised to launch a massive counter-assault on whatever was now approaching their perimeter.

* * * * * * * * * *

Here's what this description of Pugnax reminds me of:

Oh hey! Scrappy Doo is what I was supposed to picture from the beginning, wasn't it? Pugnax is basically Latin for "Scrappy." He can't talk as well as Scrappy Doo which is what threw me at the beginning. But now we see he can stand up on his back legs and clench his fists in a fighting stance. Sure, Pynchon just says he's "clenched and alert" but I know what he means! The image of Scrappy Doo ready to fight popped directly into my head here!

And since Pugnax doesn't talk very well, I'm sure his howling like a kennelful of dogs was him saying, "Lemme 'at 'im! Lemme 'at 'im! I'll splat 'im! PUPPY POWER!"

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 17: Lines 124-126 (229-231)

 "Just ol' Pugnax. One of his many talents. Guess we'd better go have a look."

* * * * * * * * * *

"his many talents"
So far we've learned that Pugnax can read, excrete over the side of the Inconvenience, and howl as loudly as dozens of dogs. Three could be "many" but my guess is Pugnax has more surprises to come. I hope one of his talents he later performs is explaining Gravity's Rainbow.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 17: Line 123 (228)

 "Him and what else?"

* * * * * * * * * *

Here we see Chick Counterfly expecting there to be more text—a sort of "subtext," if you will—to Darby's simple statement of "Pugnax." But sometimes there is no subtext. The answer is right there in the words in front of your face. Although I'm sure the "what else" of this statement is probably something that Darby, Chick, and the reader are just currently unaware. Like maybe Pugnax is possessed by a thousand lost souls trying to flee Hell.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 17: Line 122 (227)

 "Pugnax," explained Darby, noting Chick's alarmed expression.

* * * * * * * * * *

Pugnax makes enough noise to sound like a whole kennelful of dogs. That's because Pugnax represents the reader and there are a lot of readers. Why they're making such a racket right now, I have no idea. Perhaps we just want some Pynchonian weirdness already!

"Chick's alarmed expression"
Chick has only been aboard the Inconvenience for two weeks so he hasn't had a chance to hear the racket old Pugnax can make.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 17: Line 121 (226)

 Suddenly what sounded like a whole kennelful of dogs began to bark furiously.

* * * * * * * * * *

"kennelful of dogs"
The amount of dogs it takes to fill a kennel. This is a lesser amount than a "kennelful of cats" but greater than a "kennelful of bears."

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 16: Line 85 (190)

 He turned and strode away to join Miles, while Pugnax, whose tail had regained its customary animation, was left to scout the bounds of the encampment, searching for evidence of other dogs and their humans who might seek unauthorized entry.

* * * * * * * * * *

Does anybody else get the feeling that Thomas Pynchon isn't thrilled with writing standard linear plots even if they involve reading dogs and adventurous kids who constantly insult each other? I sort of get that feeling but not in any way that I can explain. It's kind of a paranormal feeling, as if a ghost were whispering in my ear, "Pynchon sounds bored, right?"

All of these extended linear scenes which need extra sentences to link the action from one moment to the next all sound too clinical and, well, normal! I guess Pynchon continues to point out how Lindsay has a huge stick up his ass merely by saying he "strode away." And I guess Pugnax's tail knows enough that it can feel "at ease" once Lindsay and Randolph have departed the camp.

At first I thought Pugnax would simply be excited to get some earthly smells and maybe engage with other dogs but it looks like he's excited at the possibility of a fight. That shouldn't be too surprising being that his name pretty much means "inclined to fight" or "combative" in Latin.

Is that what Pynchon thinks of his readership? That they're combative? That's probably true in the sense that nerds love to debate literature and Star Trek.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 16: Line 73 (178)

 Pugnax joined them, tail still, gaze expectant.

* * * * * * * * * *

Oh look! There's Pugnax! I was wondering where the reader got off to. I suppose this is as good a description of any current Against the Day reader when they get to this line. Tail still. Gaze expectant. Just waiting to experience Miles and Lindsay's day at the Fair.

Also, "tail still, gaze expectant" is standing at attention for a dog. He's a smart little military boy.