All of Pynchon's familiar techniques appear in Vineland as well, including the digression which leads to a digression which leads to another digression, but the main line of the narrative is easier to follow than in any of Pynchon's novels except The Crying of Lot 49.

Symbolism and elaborate plot structure are not as prominent in this novel as in the others, and because there are so many references to contemporary life, the book's impact is satirical rather than archly literary.