Copperhead again

James Jordan · 21 May 2001, 08:18 · from urth-v0030.mbox · original

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From: James Jordan <jbjordan4 at home.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Copperhead again
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 08:18:26
Message-ID: <urth-v0030-0433 at digest.urth.net>
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I wrote:

> >>I note some significant language on p. 3:
>Rance says, "Find who, Mr. President?"
>"Who the HELL do you think?"
>"Jane Doe?"
>"You're watching her, or you're DAMNED well supposed to be."
>"We are." Rance said.
>"A HELL of a lot of good it did...."
>I think that's all the profanity in the story, which makes its presence
>here significant.<<

Roy wrote:

>There's more: "I was President, goddamnit, and he was trying to give me
>orders." and "By God, this President stuff can be fun once in a while.", b=
ut
>I'm not sure of your meaning. Please elucidate.

         Oh, I just think it associates Jane Doe with hell and damnation,=20
anticipating what is shortly revealed about her. The quotation you added=20
links being President with God, which again seems significant in that the=20
NP is the equivalent of Adam, the Image of God. Obviously, sometimes=20
writers put profanity into the mouths of characters simply to provide=20
characterization; but sometimes they use it more thematically and=20
symbolically. (Think of the use of "God damn" and "God damned world" in the=20
film "Network," where the profanity is deliberate and virtually the theme=20
of the movie.) It appears to me that Wolfe is using it deliberately and=20
thematically in this story.

Jim Jordan


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