Eyes of Thecla

b sharp · 05 May 2006, 13:57 · from 2006-May.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 09:57:24 -0400
Subject: (urth) Eyes of Thecla
Message-ID: <BAY103-F10A56E7338CA69666119D8D7B50 at phx.gbl>

Okay, my last thoughts on this.  So it looks like the only two characters 
with explicitly described violet/purple eyes are Thecla and the paracoita.  
Hethor blames his "shipmates" and "not shipmates" (or was it "crewmates"?) 
for stealing her.  Perhaps "not shipmate" means passenger?  There is one 
character who was both a passenger on the Quasar ship and is associated with 
Thecla, which is the old Autarch, Appian.

In Solar Labyrinth(and perhaps briefly in the Archives) Robert Borsky makes 
an elaborate argument that Appian is Thecla's father.  Most of the evidence 
he uses stems from clues that Appian was involved in her upbringing. There 
seems very little to suggest he has a genetic connection to her.

I can imagine Appian on his return to Urth, recently unmanned, forever to be 
childless, deciding to steal the living paracoita (Thecla's mother?) from 
the disgusting ship's cook, and taking her back with to Urth with him. Young 
women seem to be of interest to him, considering  his later profession as 
pimp madame/daddy for the House Azure and his excessive interest in 
discussing Dorcas with Severian.  Thecla's memories of her mother suggest 
something strange, like cloning was going on.

And what would Hethor then do when the theft was discovered?  Perhaps use 
the dying pets he fed to help stage a mutiny, become captain, try flying the 
ship to Urth to retrieve his paracoita.

Well, just some thoughts

Bsharp

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