Part 1 of Essay
A Thermodynamic Reading of The Crying of Lot 49 Exploring thermodynamic entropy and information theory clarifies the ambiguous relationship between Oedipa Maas, Maxwell's Demon and the Tristero System in The Crying of Lot 49. Through a convoluted, chaotic adventure leading to disorder, Oedipa searches for the truth about ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... consists of all the individual particles of the system engaging in random, disordered motion" (OED). Thermodynamic entropy is the measure of this disorganization in the universe. In a closed, isolated system, the total quantity of energy remains the same, but irreversible transformations within this system cause a loss in the grade of the energy. In The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Maas realizes “her confinement" is similar to the closed system in which entropy thrives (Pynchon, 11). If she does not open h ....