More Musings on Peace

StoneOx17 · 19 Aug 2002, 02:30 · from urth-v0208.mbox · original

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From: StoneOx17 at aol.com
Subject: (urth) More Musings on Peace
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 22:30:16 EDT
Message-ID: <urth-v0208-1573 at digest.urth.net>
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Hello,

I have a few thoughts inspired by Robert Borski's recent essay on Peace.  I=20
don't believe that Weer is the devil, but I do like the idea that uncle=20
Julius is the devil.  As Robert pointed out, he has very small feet=20
(hooves?).  He also has one shoulder noticeably higher than the other (is=20
this another attribute of the devil?).  It also fits well with my theory th=
at=20
Julius poisoned Mr. Tilly in order to inherit his carny practice. =20

So after a brief interval where he lives with the devil, Weer goes to=20
college, graduates, comes back to work for the devil, and eventually inheri=
ts=20
from the devil.  This can't be good for his soul.  I was reminded of the=20
story of the banshee in Peace.  Briefly summarized, Jack and Molly are in=20
love, but Molly's father can't stand the thought of his daughter marrying a=20
penniless laborer, so he insists that Jack stay in the barn haunted by the=20
banshee for a night.  Jack eventually defeats the banshee and marries Molly=
,=20
but because of the banshee, Molly's father dies and Jack is never able to=20
consummate his marriage.  I think this story hints at "what went wrong" in=20
Weer's life.

After college, the natural time for Weer to consider marrying Margaret Lorn=
,=20
Weer's parents had probably already lost all their money.  (At least, all o=
f=20
it they hadn't spent on their years touring Europe and on Olivia's wedding.=
 =20
Is there any doubt that they lost their money in the Depression?). =20
Margaret's father, Carl, is a pennypincher, and easily might have insisted=20
that Weer get a good job before he marry Margaret.  So Weer goes to work at=20
the factory, kills someone in the coldhouse prank, loses his chance for=20
Margaret, and becomes a virtual slave to uncle Julius. =20

Finally, if Julius is the devil, I have to wonder if he conspired with=20
Professor Peacock in Olivia's death.  They were good friends when Peacock=20
introduced Julius to Olivia, and there is the mysterious letter from Peacoc=
k=20
to Julius on the President's desk which Weer is unable to read because it's=20
nailed down. Did Julius inherit any money from her?  If so, his factory was=20
built using money that is triply blood money.  He got it from Mr. Tilly's=20
death, from Olivia's death, and from the carny practice, which carries guil=
t=20
at least for Mrs. Tilly's and Rodney's deaths, as well as any ill effects o=
n=20
the carnies.

I've run out of speculations for now, which is probably good because they'r=
e=20
based on less and less textual evidence, so I'll end here.

- Stone Ox

--=20

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