pen case and stiff walking fellow

maa32 · 30 Jan 2002, 17:33 · from urth-v0202.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) pen case and stiff walking fellow
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 10:33:14 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0202-17 at digest.urth.net>
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Hey Joe.  The pen case has some other odd things about it - the narrator=20
claims he picked it up between the time he left Pig and the time he first=20
glimpsed Olivine through the window, but in the portion directly narrated b=
y=20
Silk he claims he cannot have acquired it that way - yet he did.  Some kind=
 of=20
paradox going on, and then the actual finding of the pen case is out of ord=
er=20
in the otherwise strictly chronological third person sections of Return to =
the=20
Whorl - presented in flashback while he talks to Olivine, I believe.

Also, the stiff walking fellow: I think I have made a pretty good case for =
the=20
narrator's staff being a primitive form of the inhumu, the evil liana branc=
h. =20
If you accept that trees are sentient and eating everybody and recombining=20
with their DNA, then the staff is the parasitic embryonic inhumu sans anima=
l=20
consumption: it can walk in astral travel (remember the words Hoof uses to=20
describe an epiphany?  "When you realize a stick was a snake without moving=
". =20
Also, the narrator spends a great deal of time talking about a walking stic=
k=20
that is not a walking stick when it leaves it's master, just a stick that=20
walks. and Krait is always described as being snakelike, while Jahlee cling=
s=20
"liana" like.  The reason that Silk can complete the astral sojourn is beca=
use=20
he has his staff and it is a primitive inhumu, and that was it's spirit ...=
 or=20
so I believe, unless someone wants to make a case for colorless being fulig=
in=20
and bird-like being limping.  (I honestly believe my blue is ushas theory -=20
bwa ha ha.)

Actually, the better case for the presence of Severian is that some of his =
DNA=20
was preserved in that immortal four armed dude that comes up from the sea i=
n=20
On Blue's Waters.  Perhaps either the claw or Severian himself was exposed =
to=20
the big trees of the island (where all that blue glass was).  Wasn't there=20
something about Severian's blood on the claw?  Or was that some episode of=20
Star Trek where the Klingon savior was cloned from blood on a blade or=20
something?  My memory has finally failed me!

If you want me to clarify any of these points, feel free to ask.
Marc Aramini

Questions or problems: write ranjit at urth.net

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