Abstract. This research explores how Thomas Pynchon uses parody to transform the detective story from a search for truth into an encounter with uncertainty. While traditional mystery novels follow a clear path from a crime to a logical solution, Pynchon breaks these rules to reflect a more complex world. By focusing on works like “The Crying of Lot 49” and “Inherent Vice”, the study shows how the author adopts the style of noir fiction only to dismantle its core promises of order and clarity. The analysis highlights how Pynchon replaces the typical “whodunit” structure with a web of endless clues and deep-seated paranoia. Instead of reaching a final revelation, the protagonists often find themselves lost in a surplus of information that leads nowhere. This subversion of the genre suggests that in modern society, the mystery is not something to be solved, but a condition to be lived. Ultimately, the article argues that this parodic approach serves as a powerful critique of the human desire for total understanding in an inherently chaotic universe.