From: StoneOx17@aol.com
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 22:30:16 EDT
Subject: (urth) More Musings on Peace

Hello,

I have a few thoughts inspired by Robert Borski's recent essay on Peace.  I 
don't believe that Weer is the devil, but I do like the idea that uncle 
Julius is the devil.  As Robert pointed out, he has very small feet 
(hooves?).  He also has one shoulder noticeably higher than the other (is 
this another attribute of the devil?).  It also fits well with my theory that 
Julius poisoned Mr. Tilly in order to inherit his carny practice.  

So after a brief interval where he lives with the devil, Weer goes to 
college, graduates, comes back to work for the devil, and eventually inherits 
from the devil.  This can't be good for his soul.  I was reminded of the 
story of the banshee in Peace.  Briefly summarized, Jack and Molly are in 
love, but Molly's father can't stand the thought of his daughter marrying a 
penniless laborer, so he insists that Jack stay in the barn haunted by the 
banshee for a night.  Jack eventually defeats the banshee and marries Molly, 
but because of the banshee, Molly's father dies and Jack is never able to 
consummate his marriage.  I think this story hints at "what went wrong" in 
Weer's life.

After college, the natural time for Weer to consider marrying Margaret Lorn, 
Weer's parents had probably already lost all their money.  (At least, all of 
it they hadn't spent on their years touring Europe and on Olivia's wedding.  
Is there any doubt that they lost their money in the Depression?).  
Margaret's father, Carl, is a pennypincher, and easily might have insisted 
that Weer get a good job before he marry Margaret.  So Weer goes to work at 
the factory, kills someone in the coldhouse prank, loses his chance for 
Margaret, and becomes a virtual slave to uncle Julius.  

Finally, if Julius is the devil, I have to wonder if he conspired with 
Professor Peacock in Olivia's death.  They were good friends when Peacock 
introduced Julius to Olivia, and there is the mysterious letter from Peacock 
to Julius on the President's desk which Weer is unable to read because it's 
nailed down. Did Julius inherit any money from her?  If so, his factory was 
built using money that is triply blood money.  He got it from Mr. Tilly's 
death, from Olivia's death, and from the carny practice, which carries guilt 
at least for Mrs. Tilly's and Rodney's deaths, as well as any ill effects on 
the carnies.

I've run out of speculations for now, which is probably good because they're 
based on less and less textual evidence, so I'll end here.

- Stone Ox











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