From: Alex David Groce <Alex_Groce@gs246.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Re: Digest whorl.v011.n018
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 10:30:25 


I'm with alga--Horn as an inhuma seems pointless and wrong.  I may
turn out to the wrong, but this seems like another example of Clute's
real talent for working out Wolfe's mysteries working itself into an
over-clever frenzy (ahem, momma Autarch).

What evidence is there to suggest this, in contrast to the
considerable evidence against it (the writing, Oreb, etc.)?  On the
other hand, this is a better review than Clute did of OBW.


It does seem possible that Silk was committing suicide--the blood was
very possibly from the funeral sacrifices (which I picture him doing
alone) for Hyacinth, but Horn says "my hands and arms and face and
neck were bleeding" which does sound as if Silk (assuming it is Silk,
which seems very very likely) has been cut.  On the other hand,
bleeding hands, arms, face and neck seems like a pretty extreme and
messy approach to suicide---it sounds more like Silk has been attacked
and since his spirit wants to die, he hasn't bothered to deal with his
wounds--suicide by omission, if you will.  At any rate, the fact that
suicide (while of sound mind) would be damning seems not to suggest
against the idea--that there is now one whole man means, I take it,
that Silk has a chance to escape his despair (the increasing
intrusions of his personality through the narrative suggest that he is
indeed moving away from his catatonia).


--
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (agroce+@cs.cmu.edu)
Ph.D. Student, Carnegie Mellon University - Computer Science Department
8112 Wean Hall (412)-268-3066
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~agroce

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