American Nights Forgery -- more evidence

Dave Tallman · 13 May 2008, 15:59 · from 2008-May.txt.gz

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From: davetallman at msn.com (Dave Tallman)
Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 09:59:00 -0600
Subject: (urth)  American Nights Forgery -- more evidence
Message-ID: <1bf4dd40805130859v193ebadfi6a85cf69e6bf23c6 at mail.gmail.com>

Here is some more evidence I found. Here some are other errors (other than
Nadan drinking alchohol) in what I believe is the forged part, the account
of the final day and night:

   - Nadan was nearly convinced that all he had left of the eggs was
   candy (p. 370 IODDAOSAOS Orb edition). The next day, he is afraid one of the
   remaining eggs will cause despairing madness (p. 377).
   - He says "We walked north along the bank of the channel until we
   reached the ruins of the old tomb..." (the Jefferson Memorial). To reach
   this place from the hotel, they couldn't just walk north. They would have to
   turn west and cross a bridge, exactly the same bridge where robbers lurked a
   few days before (p. 353).
   - The parade is not something that would be done on Easter, but on
   Good Friday. Would the theater really be closed for Good Friday? The
   American society as a whole doesn't seem that religious for the theater to
   forego the income.
   - "The dead leader lifted up" phrase seems wrong. Mulims honor Jesus
   as a prophet but don't believe he really died on the cross.

Here is an extended list of Holy Week parallels:

   1. In the first paragraph, Nadan compares himself to a man condemned
   to death.
   2. The ruined city suggests Jerusalem. One part is described as
   "occupied." (As in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' -- "We are occupied. Have you
   forgotten how put down we are?") The police act like the Roman soldiers.
   3. He is staying at the "Inn of the Holidays" (holy days).
   4. The first real entry into the city is on Palm Sunday. Nadan
   describes crowds and music.
   5. The authorities are plotting against him.
   6. Nadan is followed by beggars and people needing healing.
   7. A sacred place (the Washington Monument) has been converted into a
   den of thieves, selling stolen rings.
   8. Ardis becomes Judas, the disciple who betrays him. Her gift is a
   bracelet containing pieces of silver. She shuts his mouth "with a kiss."
   9. The meal of sandwiches (bread) and fruit-flavored beverage (wine)
   recalls the Last Supper (although I believe this is in the forged part).
   10. Twice Nadan is served bitter drinks (pp. 345 and 363).
   11. Red and purple garments in the city. Scarlet and purple robes were
   put on Jesus.
   12. The curator's conversation with Nadan is an elaborate form of the
   question "What is truth?". I suggest the curator is meant to be the
   Procurator, Pontius Pilate. If so, it suggests he has a role in condemning
   Nadan to death.

Like the woman with two halves to her face "one large-eyed and idiotically
despairing, the other squinting and sneering" (p. 339), there are two horror
stories here. One is a monster tale, but the hidden one is of human
monsters. It shows us that Americans could behave as horribly as the
third-world people they look down on, were the roles reversed.
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