# RTTW spoilers, 2 Silks in one mansion

*The Whorl list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 16 Feb 2001*

<https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/1171>

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### Michael Andre-Driussi
*16 Feb 2001, 10:29*

> Adam wrote:
> There is also the question of why none of these events--Horn's decision to
> seek to get Silk-in-Pig downloaded into himself, the actual downloading, and
> the testing and rejection of the downloaded Silk--are mentioned in the text.
> Was Horn so embarrassed by the fiasco that he decided not to say anything
> about it to anyone?  Even if there wasn't so much evidence against your
> model, the fact that it relies on so many crucial events not mentioned in
> the text would make me very reluctant to accept it.

Ah well.

Interesting to contemplate two more-or-less identical Silks (your
Silk-in-Pig and 100% Silk in Horn) in the same place (ruins of Blood's
mansion) at the same time with such different reactions.

=mantis=

Sirius Fiction
Catalog and errata sheet at http://www.sirius.com/~mantis/



*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

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### Adam Stephanides
*16 Feb 2001, 20:10 · follows Michael Andre-Driussi*

> on 2/16/01 12:29 PM, Michael Andre-Driussi at mantis at sirius.com wrote:
> Ah well.
> 
> Interesting to contemplate two more-or-less identical Silks (your
> Silk-in-Pig and 100% Silk in Horn) in the same place (ruins of Blood's
> mansion) at the same time with such different reactions.

I may be missing your point completely, but it seems to me that their
reactions aren't so different.  In fact, I'd say that "Horn"'s behavior
supports my position.  He first tells Pig he wants to enter the mansion
alone, with no explanation (118, 119).  When Pig insists on coming with him,
he deceives him so as to be able to go in alone (121).  Once inside, he gets
"a sort of itch" to find Hyacinth's bedroom, although he tells himself it's
foolish.  He decides to try to return to Hound, hoping to blunder into
Hyacinth's bedroom on the way.  And he does eventually find himself, by
chance, in Hyacinth's dressing chamber; although he's never been there
before, he "knew with absolute certainty" that that's what it is (134-35).
From this evidence "Horn" is just as fixated upon Hyacinth as the
Silk-possessed Pig is, though better able to rationalize it.

(I wouldn't expect Silk-in-Pig and Silkhorn to behave identically, in any
case.  One is filtered through Pig, so to speak, the other blended with Horn
(Silk-in-Pig tells "Horn"'It was Pig who was angry'" (175)); plus Silkhorn
is engaged in denying to himself that he is Silk.)

--Adam


*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

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