Crying of Lot 49 and this course

I really struggled reading The Crying of Lot 49 and found that by the end I had concentrated too much on understanding the details and what was happening in the story, that I hadn't stopped to think much more about anything else, such as how this book related to the Vietnam War. Honestly, as I was reading I had absolutely no idea how it was related, besides the fact that it was written during the time of the Vietnam War. Reading through other people's blogs, such as Chelsea and Risa's though, the relationships that became most apparent to me was Oedipus's increasing confusion compared to the heightened confusion of America's involvement as the war progressed. Also, Oedipus's feelings of isolation also compared to American's feelings of isolation during the war. I find it quite amazing how the Vietnam War and The Crying of Lot 49 are about two completely different stories, yet so easily connect and share relationships.