Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 17:49:48 -0700
Subject: Re: (urth) Silkicide
From: Jason Ingram 

Blattid, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore . . .

Blattid wrote:

> Yes; I reread that passage last night. I don't think there is
> any real doubt that his arm wounds are self-inflicted; the
> only serious question is whether they are mourning gashes,
> as we know to be practiced in Viron, or an attempt at self-
> slaughter.
[...]
> I'm not sure whether we _can_ know whether Silk was attempting
> suicide; I'm watching for any further clues as I read.

I agree that the evidence is ambiguous.  I read the wounds as 
self-inflicted, amounting to more than ritual gashes but less than an 
intentional suicide attempt.  I half agree with Nutria, who writes:

"It seems to me that Silk's throwing away a knife might be a knife he 
used in a vain attempt to ward off attackers, not one he used to inflict 
wounds on himself. The Neighbor says Silk's body is okay. It seems to me 
that if he had been trying for suicide, he would have succeeded. But I 
may be wrong."

An excess of emotion might have led Silk to harm himself.  One 
possibility I wanted to check when I re-read is whether Pig might have 
been involved in hyacinth's death.  Other than that I'm not sure who the 
attackers would have been.  Is there textual evidence?

Regarding the slips of self-naming mentioned: when I was scanning 
through some of the books (incidentally, looking for textual evidence 
that Silk gave blood to inhumi.  I was unable to find anything 
convincing--he offers some to Krait as the latter is dying--IGJ p. 81 
Tor hardcover-- and wishes he had thought to give some to Jahlee to 
awaken her.  However, my search didn't amount to a perusal) I came 
across a passage where the narrator notices that he had made a mistake, 
and talks about why he didn't correct it.  I was also led to think that 
the narrator would be worried about others reading his journal, which 
might go far to account for Wolfe's intentional indirection.  The 
passage that triggered that thought was one where the narrator writes 
that he won't say where he hid his Azoth . . . I'll see if I can locate 
the precise passages again should there be interest.

Sepia


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