sins in free live free

maa32 · 18 Apr 2001, 23:15 · from urth-v0030.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) sins in free live free
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 23:15:35
Message-ID: <urth-v0030-0318 at digest.urth.net>
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James Jordan wrote
>
>	The four main characters each have a besetting sin. These seem to link
>with four of the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Greed, Envy, Anger, Lust,
>Gluttony, Sloth).
>	Fat Candy - gluttony. That's a no-brainer. (Her name links to this also,
>of course.)
>	Ozzie (Osgood =3D Oz-Good) Barnes (the salesman) - lust. I think his
>marriage broke up because of unfaithfulness, though this is not stated.
>	Stubb (the detective) - pride. He thinks he can handle everything, and has
>a "little man complex" or "Napoleon complex." As a short man consumed by
>being short, he's a "stub."
>	Madame Serpentina - witchcraft, perhaps greed as lust for power (the sin
>of the Serpent, Satan). Also, as a gypsy pickpocket she's "greedy." (Note
>that her name originally was Marie, Mary, but that she has fallen from this
>"Christian" name into serving Satan as Madame Serpentina.)
>	Each is trapped by his/her sin just before being offered a new life.
>children's book is that the protagonist is a eleven-year-old girl. In
>nearly every other way, this book is on an adult level.
>

As far as I remember from a Wolfe interview, I thought he identified Madame=20
Serpentina as pride (she is a haughty wench) and Stubb as Envy.  I think Wo=
lfe=20
waffled a little on identifying Stubb (little man complex seems like envy=20
mixed with pride to me).  (Is there a big difference in the Ziesing version=
 of=20
the text?  I can't imagine editing a Wolfe work down by thousands of words.=
 =20
Who knows what subtle details were destroyed?  Only Wolfe. Maybe not even=20
him.)  I readily agree with your analysis of the Wizard of Oz parallels.
Marc Aramini



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