From: "tom" 
Subject: Re: (urth) TBOTSS and colonialism
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 16:06:17 GMT


Adam Stephanides writes:

> on 5/21/02 2:51 AM, Andy Robertson at andywrobertson@clara.co.uk wrote:
> 
> > Now let's really, really,  stir this one up.
> > 
> > Inhumi = jews?
> 
> Actually, if the inhumi are indeed modelled upon any real-life group, my
> guess would be the Palestinians, given Wolfe's post-9/11 remarks that the
> U.S. should give Israel a free hand, and given the Exodus theme in TBOTLS.

The Exodus theme fits very well, IMHO.  We have basically decent
colonists/Jews on one side, and completely evil inhumi/Canaanites
on the other.  The story then becomes the answer to "Why didn't
the Jews love their neighbors during the conquest of the Holy Land?".

Silk becomes a Moses figure.  The Neighbors are the giants on the
Earth in previous days.  Pas becomes (against his will) an aspect
of Yahweh.  Settlers on Green become the Jews who tried to live
with the Canaanites.

It's a nasty mapping, but has precedent in Tolkien's orcs = Eastern
Europeans parallel.

--