Miller and Pynchon

What begins with a seemingly achievable task such as drawing a line of demarcation becomes something far greater for our two comical heroes, Miller and Pynchon. They embark on a more ambitious task – accurately measuring the Transit of Venus, through which the distance between the earth and the sun is calculated. As the magnitude of this new task dawns on them, so too does a creeping sense of their own insignificance. With each new measurement, the pair become increasingly interested in the direction their lives are taking. While the melancholic Pynchon ponders the death of his beloved wife, the more pragmatic Miller seems hell-bent on a course of escapism through sexual debauchery.