Subject: (urth) Three Fingers: Sometimes a Pipe...

From: Dan'l Danehy Oakes <ddanehyo at us.oracle.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 09:07:33 +0000

It seems to me that "Three Fingers" -- oddly for a Wolfe story -- is
just what it seems.  That is, Adam's theory #2 comes closest to the
mark:

> 2)  "Michael Mauss" is sane and the "Mickey Mafia" really gets him,
> just like it says in the story.  Supporting this is that
> hallucinations are one of the side effects of reserpine.  I don't
> like this because it leaves too many questions unanswered.  Why
> would the Disney people dress up as Disney characters to catch
> Michael?  And why pretend they're going to kill him?

Hokay, let's take this one point at a time.

First and foremost, what on earth gives you the eyedea that they're
_pretending_?  And, similarly, the knowtion that they're "dressed up" 
as Disney characters?

I guess I have to back this up, so here's an interpretive principle
that I find useful in dealing with Wolfe's texts; call it the Roach
Principle
   The "deep meaning" of a Wolfean text is most likely to be 
   identical with its "surface meaning" precisely when that
   "surface meaning" seems most unlikely.

Basic interpretation of "Three Fingers":  The Disney characters (and
most particularly the Disney villains) are real and are exactly what 
they seem.  There is nothing under the mask.  Michael Mauss has made
the fatal mistake of trading in the Disney Magic^(tm).

You have to know how fiercely these people protect their trademarks
to feel this story.  We're talking about a company that brought 
suit against an urban daycare center because they'd hand-painted
Disney characters on the walls.  (To their infinite credit, the good
people at Warner's helped settle the suit, and paid for repainting 
the place -- in Warner cartoon characters, for which they didn't
charge royalties 8*) ).

Actually, in line with the Roach Principle, it is quite possible 
that Adam's #3 is also correct, that "Mauss" is in fact Mickey 
Mouse; but I'd have to reread the story to decide on this one, and 
I don't have time right now -- I'm wrapping up for a long vacation, 
during which I hope to finally get around to "Castleview," 
"Pandora," and "Storeys," and maybe even the one-more-reading of 
PEACE I need to do in order to make my case for "Weer in Purgatory" 
as the bestest reading...

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