The themes explored in Pynchon's earlier stories and his initial two novels resurface and are further developed in Gravity's Rainbow. The novel presents the reckless and thoughtless exploitation of the earth's resources, which accelerates the process of entropy, as the true aim of the war—rather than ideological or moral reasons. Although the war ended with the collapse of certain governments and the ousting of some leaders, the entropic decay continues unabated. At one point, Pynchon steps outside the war's narrative to suggest that living in the latter half of the twentieth century, which he refers to as "The System," is like being a passenger on a bus driven by a madman bent on self-destruction, thereby putting everyone on board at risk. The most frightening element of this analogy is the passengers' helplessness; even if they recognize the looming disaster, they are powerless to stop it.

Conspiracies and manipulations are widespread on both sides of the conflict, even extending across enemy lines. One key character is eventually revealed to have been influenced from a young age by social scientists from both sides of the Atlantic. This influence is partly due to the interests of I.G. Farben, a massive industrial cartel that Pynchon portrays as the true power in prewar and wartime Germany, surpassing even the Nazis.

The Herero tribesmen of Southwest Africa, previously shown as victims of German genocide in V. (1963), reappear as part of a clandestine group within the nation that once sought their destruction. Many characters on the Allied side are connected to the White Visitation office, the headquarters of PISCES (Psychological Intelligence Schemes for Expediting Surrender). This organization acts as a psychic version of the Office of Strategic Services, where schemes often become self-serving, and "surrender" involves the mind and spirit of those trapped by PISCES.

The intertwining conspiracies and counter-conspiracies add a layer of dizzying complexity. These schemes frequently incorporate Pynchon's well-known quest pattern as well.

Minor themes in Pynchon's first two novels develop into major themes in Gravity's Rainbow. Calvinist theology claims that all humans are damned due to Adam's sin; however, some individuals — the elect — are saved by God's grace, while others — the preterite — are condemned, a fate that cannot be altered. Pynchon finds this perspective on God frightening and believes it fosters the excesses of contemporary society. One consequence of this theology is the idea that God bestows worldly riches upon the elect, thereby justifying greed and self-promotion. This notion facilitates the exploitation of the poor and powerless, under the belief that their lack of worldly success indicates they belong to the preterite damned and are, therefore, insignificant. Max Weber explores this analysis in his work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904), which greatly influenced Pynchon before he wrote V.. Similar to Blake's Satan, Pynchon empathizes with the preterite in their doomed struggle against a pretentious, uncaring God. Politically, this conflict reflects the ongoing defeat of the underclass and the enlightened by the military-industrial-technological complex, created by the complacent elect, which overwhelms the weak.

The tale of Rapunzel can be seen as an analogy for The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), and some scholars have drawn comparisons between the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and Gravity's Rainbow . Staying true to Pynchon's grim outlook, in this version, the witch ultimately triumphs. A significant portion of the novel focuses on the quest to find the location and purpose of the V-2 rocket 00000 (another V), which is launched toward the North Pole by a malevolent scientist near the story's conclusion. Within the rocket is his lover, a young boy, who symbolizes...

In Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon delves into numerous themes, repeatedly returning to metaphysics, a philosophical field that addresses essential questions about reality and existence. The novel examines what defines reality, how it can be identified, and whether it exists at all. Its complex storyline can be viewed as a quest to understand the causes of death and an attempt to determine who or what (if anything) rules the world.

The pursuit of understanding death and its origins is a central theme, especially through the various efforts to comprehend the German V-2 rockets. Leading the ultimate V-2 rocket is "Dominus Blicero," a name intended to represent the lord of death. Blicero launches Rocket 00000 from northern Germany, a location described by the African special forces team building it as a place where death resides. The protagonist, Slothrop, is heavily engaged in the search for this rocket, driven by his obsession with death and his tendency toward it. Like his chase for the rocket, Slothrop's quest to understand and possibly confront death becomes hopelessly entangled. Nonetheless, Pynchon uses Slothrop to demonstrate that Western civilization is preoccupied with death, channeling its efforts toward mass destruction and, in a way, uncovering the nature of death.

Slothrop's concerns go beyond understanding death; he is also a paranoid character fixated on discovering the nature of the forces that control his life and the world. The novel hints that multinational corporations like Shell and General Electric were involved on both sides of World War II, indicating Pynchon's sympathy towards this paranoid viewpoint. The paranoid perspective suggests there is a malevolent plot being carried out, while the anti-paranoid viewpoint argues that events are coincidental and that no conspiracy is at play.

The contrast between paranoia and anti-paranoia is crucial to Pynchon's metaphysical insights, symbolizing whether any unifying forces (benevolent or malevolent) hold the world together or if the world consists solely of random, meaningless events. By the novel's conclusion, Pynchon's position on paranoia remains unclear. He implies that humans are constantly striving to understand the nature of reality, death, and existence, yet may never reach definitive answers. He might also suggest that corporate and governmental conspiracies exist and are engaged in efforts, coordinated or otherwise, to suppress individuality and control the world.

Gravity's Rainbow delves into the themes of warfare and technological progress from the beginning of World War II through the Vietnam War era. Pynchon expresses apprehension about the complex and powerful technologies developed to annihilate human life since World War II. The novel implies that these destructive mechanisms of the late twentieth century not only pose a threat to life but also undermine identity and individuality, distancing people from their sense of self and uniqueness. Almost every character in the story experiences a loss of their true identity and self-awareness (Roger from Jessica, Brigadier Pudding from his sexual satisfaction, Slothrop from his literal identity and home) due to the effects of war and technology. Pynchon seems to suggest that the repercussions of war and conflict are devastating, violent, and far-reaching, worsened by the technological advancements of the late twentieth century.

Racism is a recurring motif in many of Pynchon's major narratives. He explores racial issues within the context of World War II and the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s. The quest for Enzian's African Schwarzkommando stands out as a prominent storyline where Pynchon deeply investigates race relations. Characters such as Slothrop and Tchitcherine are preoccupied with racial distinctions, their fixations rooted in childhood traumas linked to racist indoctrination. Figures like Blicero also hold prejudices against Jews, and Pynchon openly confronts the horrors of the Holocaust. Pynchon's extensive use of black and white symbolism and references—like Geli Tripping's white magic or the imagery linked to Domina Noctura—highlights the widespread, potent, and dominant nature of racism in postwar Western culture. He further connects racist ideologies to capitalist and governmental schemes, as shown by the German corporation IG Farben, which exploited concentration camp labor to manufacture chemicals, including Zyklon-B, the poison used in gas chambers to kill Nazi prisoners.

Gravity's Rainbow examines the themes of globalization and empire, focusing on their political dimensions and their impact on erasing personal identity. Politically, Pynchon critiques various empires, from the Germans' interactions with the African Hereros to Dutch colonial rule in Mauritius, and the global dominance ambitions of the British, Russians, and Americans. The novel depicts empire building as a strategy to dominate other cultures and dictate the lives of their people. Furthermore, Pynchon reveals a widespread conspiracy within capitalist globalization. The narrative suggests that war acts as a tool for corporations like Shell and General Electric to sustain their business operations, often at the expense of human life and with little regard for individuals striving to shape their own futures.