In The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon expresses a very interesting view of entropy through the actions of Oedipa Maas. In communication theory, entropy is a measure of the efficiency of a system, such as a code or language, in transmitting information. Otherwise, the definition of entropy I will use is “the ultimate state reached in the degradation of matter in the universe: a state of inert uniformity of the component elements; an absence of form, pattern, hierarchy, or differentiation.” In Oedipa's adventures throughout the novel, Pynchon uses her attempt to resolve Pierce's will as an example of the work of Maxwell's demon. Maxwell's demon is a vase divided into two parts, A and B, by a division in which there is a small hole, which allows only faster molecules to pass on one side and slower molecules on the other. The purpose of Maxwell's demon is to contradict the second law of thermodynamics and, without work, lower the temperature of A and raise the temperature of B. The principle of entropy is explained in the chaos that Oedipa discovers while traveling through California. Pynchon clearly demonstrates the idea that gathering information is directly related to measuring disorder. Through Oedipa, Pynchon finally demonstrates how Maxwell's demon cannot function. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The basic operating principle of Maxwell's demon is the ability to open and close a small hole between two portions of a container filled with air at a uniform temperature. In her essay "Maxwell's Demon, Entropy, Information: The Crying of Lot 49", Anne Mangel states that "in The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon uses Maxwell's notion of a demon as a metaphor for Oedipa's experiences." Oedipa illustrates this concept when she talks about the loss of her men. He says: “They are stripping, one by one, my men. My shrink, chased by the Israelis, went crazy; my husband, under the influence of LSD, gropes more and more like a child through the rooms and endless rooms of his own elaborate candy house and moves away, hopelessly away, from what is past, I hoped forever , in love; my only extra-marital friend had an affair with a depraved fifteen-year-old; my best guide for the Trystero got a Brody. Where are they?" (126). Oedipa symbolizes the demon because she allows people into, and then shuts them out of, her life. She is in a conformist society, which represents the uniformity in Maxwell's demon. In the novel, Oedipa Mass he is left as an executor, charged with resolving the random inheritance, just as Maxwell's demon is called upon to resolve the randomness of molecules. Oedipa finds an extreme amount of chaos around her, which is related to the chaos in Maxwell's demon. As he begins to bring order to this chaos, he notices the enormity of entropy in society. He then begins his random journey across California, symbolizing the entropy of molecules moving in random directions. Oedipa's depiction of the demon shows as she begins to sort through symbols and codes in society, just as Maxwell's demon would begin to sort through molecules. Oedipa discovers a great deal of chaos in society as she travels through California. In particular, the acronyms WASTE, DEATH, and NADA in the novel all represent examples of entropy in communication. Through these words Pynchon shows that the randomness of language has a disturbing potential. Oedipa faces mass confusion when confronted with these words and notes the psychological effects these words can have on the people of California. Oedipa.