Tracking Song

James Jordan · 31 May 2002, 23:20 · from urth-v0205.mbox · original

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From: James Jordan <jbjordan4 at cox.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Tracking Song
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 18:20:36 -0500
Message-ID: <urth-v0205-1159 at digest.urth.net>
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Fascinating as always, Borski. A couple of thoughts -- and I have not=20
reread the story before bringing these up.
         Man-tru(e) seems a pretty obvious name. Which makes me wonder who=20
he is symbolically. Cain, a true "fallen" man, or some kind of Adam figure,=20
the true-man fallen, and perhaps responsible for the winter?
         The fact that the Great Sleigh circles the planet reminds me a lot=20
of the Ship of the Severian Quintet. Symbolically the same. But I guess=20
that's obvious....

Cutthroat is recording the progress of his quest to catch up to the Great
>Sleigh. "I want to leave a record of what has happened to me, so that if
>someone comes for me, and finds me dead, he will understand. I feel that
>someone may, though I do not know why. And I want him to understand." This=20
>person who Cutthroat/Cain senses is looking for him is God, and he knows=20
>why--he's killed Abel--just as he clearly does _not_ want to be=20
>understood. ("Am I my brother's keeper?")

         Not sure here. God gave the mark to protect Cain against someone=20
who, finding him, might kill him. Wolfe's stories can be light or dark, or=20
ambiguous (duh!). Cutthroat is pursuing the Sleigh. Is he pursuing=20
salvation, however dimly? Unlike Cain, Cutthroat does not go away and stay=20
away and set up his own city (his own Garden of Eden). Rather, he is=20
pursuing the symbolic Church/Heaven. This might be more of a "redemption of=20
Cain" variant, offered by Wolfe. My guess would be that Cuttthroat's=20
pursuer, to whom he addresses his recording, is God. He is the One who will=20
come for Cutthroat after he is dead.
         Along the same lines, of course, is your last observation: Does=20
the cherub stand to bar Cuttthroat from the Garden/Sleigh/Church, or will=20
he be welcomed?

>As for the commander, when Cutthroat finally does reach the Great
>Sleigh--literally the technology of heaven if we accept that the space
>people are terraforming the world in question to make it more habitable,
>perhaps even after a long nuclear winter--the last entry he records has
>Cutthroat "regaining" his memory. "I know who you are," he says. "The small
>planet is round, and you have come back, and the time for talking into this
>black box is over. I am going to talk to you face to face. Who is that tall
>man with you? I think he has...wings?"

         This looks very redemptive to me. Talking into the box symbolizes=20
prayer -- he's been talking to someone absent, but who will come for him=20
when he is dead. When Christ returns, we see him face to face (1=20
Corinthians 13:12).
         Certainly the Bible gives no hint of an ultimately saved Cain, and=20
I know of no pseudigraphical literature that does. But it looks to me as if=20
Wolfe might be playing that trick here.
         But what do you think?

Nutria


--=20

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