AEG Volcano God

Dave Tallman · 21 Jan 2009, 17:57 · from 2009-January.txt.gz

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From: davetallman at msn.com (Dave Tallman)
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:57:33 -0700
Subject: (urth) AEG Volcano God
Message-ID: <1bf4dd40901210957q77ffc348q9a010781ccad16eb at mail.gmail.com>

A few more points about the Reis/Volcano god connection.

1) The squared coral blocks leading to the seated image of the Volcano God
on his island (275) and the dark stone block before the black basalt throne
on Takanga Ha'i seem related. The blocks could be sacrificial altars, just
as the execution stone was. (We know the Volcano God image was seated
because it was replaced by the seated "Vince," p. 285).
2) They may be "head stones" in a literal sense (bad pun).
3) Reis left his shoes near them (271). Cassie went barefoot after finding
the stones (285). This is like Moses and the burning bush: "Take off your
shoes. You are standing on holy ground."
4) Kanoa said they were sacrificing to the Sky Gods, and that the only god
in the sky was the Storm King (282). Unseen in the storm, the volcano would
still have been releasing its smoke (249).
5) Reis said he would continue to love Cassie in death.
6) Cassie felt a sense of the presence of Reis at the stones (285).
7) She returned there every three days (285), like the women returning to
the tomb on the third day to find Jesus resurrected.
8) The Death's Visitors told Cassie she might be happy there (284). This
must mean more than mere survival. They knew the spirit of her lover was
there.
9) The request for flowers exactly parallels the request by Pat Gomez, as we
thought.
10) The line "uninhabited, except for the volcano" must be from the play.
The Volcano God island in the play was probably close to the inhabited one
where the missionaries worked, but not the same. 11) Reis was probably
inspired in writing his play by the Volcano God on this island. He must have
visited the island before, since he chose it for Cassie's stroll.
12) The Vince figure indicated he knew what it was to be lonely.

Connecting all this, suppose the Volcano God accepted the sacrifice of
Bill's life and took his spirit to the other island to be join him. That is
why Cassie could sense Bill there, and why he was able to influence the
Volcano God to help her. The image of the Volcano God as played by Vince was
the most vivid one in her mind, so it was how the being appeared to her.
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