Abstract:
The Crying of Lot 49 was written in the 1960’s one of the most significant period of
politics and social turbulent in United States’ history. The decade presented the rise of drug
culture, the Vietnam War, the rock revolution, and some numerous social welfare programs
after the Democrat swept Congress in the 1964 elections. This was also the decade of Civil
Rights, the assassination of John F Kennedy, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and
women rights to some extent. The novel came into existence in these cultural occurrences and
portrayed the fragmented society dramatically. The Crying of Lot 49 contains pervasive sense
of cultural chaos; indeed the book portrays all areas of culture and society change as mention
above. In the end, the novel protagonist Oedipa Mass, finds herself alone alienated from that
society and looses contact to life she used to lead before her attempts to uncover the mystery
of the Tristero. The world around Oedipa seems full of drugs, manic, conspiracies and
illusion. This kind of life, although seems new and exciting, emerges dangers, especially
from the drugs, which gave serious effect on her marriage and Hillarius insanity. She is often
hallucinating and constantly high which later bring him to chaotic alienation.
