Acts have consequences, Dixon, they must. These Louts believe all's right now,- that they are free to get on with Lives that to them are no doubt important,- with no Glimmer at all of the Debt they have taken on. That is what I smell'd,- Lethe-Water. One of the things the newly-born forget, is how terrible its Taste, and Smell. In Time, these People are able to forget ev'rything. Be willing but to wait a little, and ye may gull them again and again, however ye wish,- even unto their own Dissolution. In America, as I apprehend, Time is the true River that runs 'round Hell.
The excerpt from "Mason & Dixon" by Thomas Pynchon reflects on the theme of consequences and forgetting. The speaker emphasizes that actions have repercussions, suggesting that people may believe they are free and unburdened, yet they carry unrecognized debts from their past. While they enjoy their lives, they remain oblivious to the weight of their history, which is likened to Lethe-Water—a metaphor for forgetfulness that can entice people into complacency.
This forgetfulness allows individuals to repeat their mistakes without awareness of the consequences, leading to a cycle of gullibility and dissolution. The speaker points to America as a place where time can act as a river that flows around suffering, implying that while people may temporarily evade their past, they cannot escape its inevitability forever. This reflection poses a warning about the dangers of forgetting and emphasizes the importance of recognizing the debt we owe to our actions.
