Mystery

Mystery is an important theme in the novel “Bleeding Edge” by Thomas Pynchon. In the novel, mystery involves that which is unknown, and that which may never be revealed. There are multiple instances of mystery in the novel, with each one of them adding to, or fueling the plot in some way. Additionally, mystery shrouds the truth (see the theme “Truth” and “Potential Explanations).

Maxine’s life as a fraud investigator is built around mystery, uncovering hidden wrongdoings and bringing the offending people to justice by exposing them. Reg brings the first part of a multifaceted mystery to Maxine very early in the novel, when he asks her to look into hashslingrz. It is strange Maxine and to Reg why hashslingrz should restrict access to the person they have hired to make a documentary about themselves. As Maxine begins digging into hashslingrz’s finances, she uncovers...