Sev's parents

Roy C. Lackey · 08 Nov 1999, 01:02 · from urth-v0028.mbox · original

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From: "Roy C. Lackey" <rclackey at stic.net>
Subject: (urth) Sev's parents
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 01:02:35
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In defense of Jeremy Crampton's argument that Sev lied about "I have never
known my father or mother",  I offer this: In CLAW, third page of chapter
XXVII, Sev does remember his mother, remembers being breast fed in a gray
cell. Whether that constitutes "knowing" her or not is problematic. He can't
raise his eyes to look into her face, yet can see the gray of her cell wall.
He never spells out whether he ever equated "Katharine" with "Catherine" or
not. Sometimes having a perfect memory has its drawbacks, so that you have
to lie to yourself to keep your sanity. It wouldn't be pleasant to see your
mother's face once a year, particularly when a child too young to
distinguish between ritual and reality, on a bloody severed head.

Also, he met Ouen twice and on the second occasion, in CITADEL, figured out
that Ouen was his father. If he didn't get to know Ouen any better after
that, it was his own fault.

Jim Henley also wrote:
>>Is there anything to demonstrate that Sev knows the complete truth about
the mausoleum before the events of URTH? This is a genuine rather than
rhetorical question.<<

Chapter XXXVIII of CITADEL: "I know too in whose mausoleum I tarried as a
child, that little building of stone with its rose, its fountain, and its
flying ship all graven. I have disturbed my own tomb, and now I go to lie in
it."

Roy

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