From: "Robert Borski" <rborski@charter.net>
Subject: (whorl) Re: RttW ending: when and who:
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 13:47:55 

Adam-the-Greek conjecturing:

<(Or are there six passengers?  Babbie is present at the meeting with Daisy,
and if my theory is correct the writer of the last paragraph could have
simply overlooked him when listing the
passengers.)>

Can't say I find this notion appealing because the omission really adds
nothing to the narrative as Wolfe has framed it--at least if your theory is
correct (as opposed to GW himself deliberately muddying up the mix, so we'd
all wonder).

Consider, however, the following:

1) When Horn abandons Babbie near Pajarocu, Babbie returns to Mucor.

2) When HornSilk returns to New Viron, Babbie swims out to visit Mucor on
her rock.

3) Surely, after over twenty years of taking care of each other, a bond has
developed between Maytara Marble and Mucor. Even as overjoyed as she is at
the prospect of being reunited with Olivine and Hammerstone, it seems likely
that the chem sibyl would not simply abandon Mucor to her desolate little
island without making sure there was someone to take care of her. Ditto for
the compassionate Silk, as well as Horn, who so wishes he had a daughter he
adopts the treacherous Jahlee.

Therefore: even if you do think that Babbie is nothing but a simple,
ordinary hus (which, of course, I don't), isn't it much more likely to
believe that the hus has returned to Mucor? (Yet another Homeric homecoming
considering the Circean angle, eh?)

Robert Borski






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