From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Re: Notes From A Second Reading (spoilers)
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 10:18:19 +0000

on 2/12/01 7:58 AM, Robert Borski at rborski@charter.net wrote:

> Some responses to vizcacha's fine second reading of RTTW.
> 
> <2) It's quite obvious to me that RttW, and to a lesser extent TBotSS as a
> whole, is a long suicide note. Clearly Silk was in the process of committing
> suicide due to his grief at Hyacinth's death when Horn's spirit was infused
> in his body.>
> 
> Right. And how does Silk kill himself after this long contemplation of
> suicide? He cuts himself a bunch of times on the arms with a knife!?!
> Surely, as an augur who's sacrificed hundred of animals, Silk would know to
> kill himself much more cleanly and expeditiously. I have a friend with a
> troubled teenage daughter who's seeing a therapist because she is constantly
> cutting her arms, but never to the point of any real serious damage other
> than lots of scar tissue and terrified parents. In other words, given his
> background and experience, Silk attempting suicide by knicking himself to
> death is just plain ridiculous.

As opposed to a godling killing Silk by nicking him to death?  Like many who
attempt suicide, Silk 's courage failed him at the sticking-point and he
only went through with it half-heartedly.

> I'm arguing that the entity known as "Pig" never had eyes to begin
> with--hence has been blind since birth, or decanting, or call-up--however
> godlings are created--the same way the original Urth-born Tartaros was.

   "Can yer see 'em, bucky?  See me een?  Where they was?"
   He made himself speak.  "Yes, Pig.  Yes, I can."
   "Gaen, hain't they?  They cut 'em oot?"
   He lowered his lantern and looked away.  "Yes, they are.  They did."
(113)

> Yes, but look who gives us these explicit details: Pig! Again, he needs to
> somehow explain the
> presence of Pas in him--notice also how Pig at one time tells Horn that
> Hierax is dead, but never mentions Tartaros--and yet not reveal he's
> murdered Silk.

Why did he need to confess to killing an augur to explain the presence of
Passilk?   Besides, with so much possession going on on the Whorl, it's the
people who aren't possessed who need to explain themselves. <g>

> And look again at what you're arguing: Silk just happens to
> commit suicide at the moment Horn dies on Green, even as a lumbering blind
> giant who's traveled all the way across the Whorl with a piece of Passilk
> trapped in his head casually bumps into Horn/Silk a short while after the
> two have merged. It's a bit of a coincidence, eh?

Yes, but as has been pointed out, Wolfe likes coincidences; presumably we
are to see the Outsider's hand in them.  Your way is a bit of a coincidence
too, unless the Neighbor telepathically alerted Pig that Horn was dying and
Pig should kill Silk so Horn's spirit would have a place to go.

--Adam


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