Someday they'll want us

Gerry Quinn · 27 Jun 2010, 11:19 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 12:19:00 +0100
Subject: (urth) Someday they'll want us
References: <599a1.4a36aa8c.3957b496 at aol.com>
Message-ID: <D6F116515A9049139681FAD80EAC38B3@jill>


> Why have a robot raise the children?  It seems to me that it's to ensure that the education they receive is exactly the same.  

Possibly.  But it may also be that in Port Mimizon, public education leaves something to be desired. Indeed, it appears standard among the rich or middle clesses of Port Mimizon not to be attending whaty we would recognise as an ordinary school - though it could also simply be, of course, that Phaedra, Marydol etc. are the only other children the narrator knows. 

> After all, "Gene Wolfe" wants to make sure that all the other Gene Wolfes that follow him are not only Gene-etic (a pun I suspect Wolfe had in mind, given the focus on his name throughout the story: we think he's only talking about wolves in stories, but I suspect he's also talking about genes) replicas but also replicas in every other way, especially education and upbringing.   Of course, he can't control *everything* but as many things as he can control he is controlling in order to make sure that every cloned son is as like him as possible until he/they finally achieve/s his/their full potential.  

Controlling everything?  I suppose you could consider writing a book that way...

> Change and growth and maturity and glorification require interaction with and intermarriage with the Other, with someone outside.  (There are some profound theological reasons behind this, which Jordan explores in his essay, as does Peter Leithart in a forthcoming essay in a festschrift for Jordan).  You have to marry someone different, someone outside your own family.  You don't clone your children; attempting to "save your life" (your genes) in that way will result in losing it and losing the world.  The only way to "save your life" and gain the world is to lose it, to give it away, to care not at all about preserving your genes.  If you're concerned about your Genes, you become a Wolf.

See also Urth/Ushas.

And maybe 'The Outsider'?

- Gerry Quinn
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