He sees her standing at the end of a passage in her life, without any next step to take-all her bets are in, she has only the tedium now of being knocked from one room to the next, a sequence of numbered rooms whose numbers do not matter, till inertia brings her to the last. That's all.
The quote reflects on a character caught in a stagnant phase of life, where there are no more decisions to make or paths to pursue. She is portrayed as trapped in a monotonous routine, moving from one meaningless situation to the next, devoid of purpose or direction. This imagery of numbered rooms symbolizes the lack of significance in her experiences, highlighting a sense of inevitability and resignation.
The mention of "inertia" suggests that her journey is now dictated by external forces rather than her own choices. It captures the essence of existential despair, where the character feels confined by the passage of life with no clear destination or meaningful engagement left. This profound observation by Pynchon encapsulates the feeling of being adrift in a world that has lost its vibrancy and potential for growth.
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