Subject: Ending of Wolfe's FREE LIVE FREE

From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 16:24:37 +0000

SPOILERS

At the end, what did the salesman see that was the "sign" that the old man
had told him about?  I love Wolfe's subtlety, but occasionally I just
totally don't get it.

Also, am I alone in interpreting that last scene as the other three having
already used the device and become their "improved" selves, whereas the
salesman had waited to get his son first and was about to "merge" with
himself by stepping through the door?

Michael Straight

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From: adam louis stephanides <astephan at students.uiuc.edu>
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 01:42:01 +0000

SPOILERS

Maybe there's a subtlety I'm missing (it's been a long time since I've read
it) but my guess would be that the "sign" is just the literal sign saying
FREE LIVE FREE referred to on the last page.

Adam

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From: adam louis stephanides <astephan at students.uiuc.edu>
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 01:54:53 +0000

SPOILERS

>himself by stepping through the door?

That's my interpretation too.

While we're on the subject, I have to admit that certain aspects of the
ending, and of the chronology of Whitten's life, puzzled me.

1) Why are there two Whittens (in addition to "Ben Free") in 1983?  The
younger Whitten (the man in the duffle coat) is there on his second trip
with the gizmo for the government.  What is the older Whitten doing there?

2) When "Ben Free" reappears on January 14, 1983, where did he come from?
He didn't come from the frontier, because he left the frontier for the last
time before he hid the gizmo in the wall, and that was presumably before
January 14, 1983.

3) A minor point, but the witch tells the others that "Today I defrauded a
certain one, the namesake of one who possesses much authority, below" in
Chapter 52.  Is there a demon named McAlister?  Or is there some joke
regarding McAlister's first name (which I don't remember ever being stated)
which I missed?  Or did she defraud somebody else that day?

Adam