
Against the Day: Ch. 28
From Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast by Thomas Pynchon books discussed here!
February 13, 2026 · 2h 45m
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges faced by a young family and the political themes present in the narrative of 'Against the Day'.
Before setting sail, we check in on the bouncing baby Jesse and the newlyweds who made him. Things aren't going too hot for the young family, the line between reciprocal sacrifice and foolheadedness seeming blurrier every day, and that's without getting into the vigilantism. But now they've parted ways, for the kid's own good, and as Reef eyes his duty to gallivant overseas, the crew shuffles paper in the form of talking politics. If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better. https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezone If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters: Books: B. Traven’s Jungle novels: Government (1931) The Carreta (1931) March to the Monteria (a.k.a. March to Caobaland) (1933) Trozas (1936) The Rebellion of the Hanged (1936; first English pub. 1952) General from the Jungle (1940) Music: Go listen to jass/jazz music As always, thanks so much for listening! Email: mappingthezonepod@gmail.com Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.social Twitter…
People in this episode
Host: Brad Wetzel
Topics covered
- family dynamics
- vigilantism
- politics
- sacrifice
- literature
Keywords
- Against the Day
- Thomas Pynchon
- family
- vigilantism
- politics
- B. Traven
- literature
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ko-Fi, mappingthezonepod@gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.com
Products: jass/jazz music
Books & works: Against the Day, B. Traven’s Jungle novels, Government, The Carreta, March to the Monteria, Trozas, The Rebellion of the Hanged, General from the Jungle
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