5HC: Number Five and Number Three

StoneOx17 · 23 Nov 2002, 16:47 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: StoneOx17 at aol.com
Subject: (urth) 5HC: Number Five and Number Three
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 11:47:58 EST
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The very interesting thread about identity started me thinking, and I=20
think I may have an answer to a puzzle in 5HC.

The puzzle, which I have never been satisfied with the resolution of, is
why the narrator is called Number Five.  Aunt Jeannine seems to=20
think that Maitre is counting living descendants (exclusive of slaves),
namely: Mr. Million, Jeannine, Maitre, David, and the narrator.  This=20
has never seemed to me a completely satisfactory explanation, and I=20
have just now come up with another one.

What did the narrator's grandfather call the narrator's father?  I'm going=20
to propose that he called him "Number Three."  The grandfather meant=20
by this that Number Three was the third in the line of clones on St. Croix.=
 =20
But in his childhood, Number Three assumed that his father was counting=20
himself as Number One and sister Jeannine as Number Two.  When it=20
came time to give a nickname to the narrator, Maitre (who by that time=20
had undoubtedly figured out the true derivation of his nickname)=20
somewhat whimsically continued this count, labelling David as Number=20
Four, and the narrator as Number Five.

Incidentally, figuring out what to call all the characters in the above=20
paragraph without being confusing was quite difficult (and I nay not
have succeeded).  Saying "his father" is ambiguous, since it's not
always clear who "his" refers to; "Maitre" isn't entirely satisfactory,=20
since in Maitre's childhood, Maitre's father was called Maitre; and=20
using names isn't useful since they all are named Gene Wolfe.

Let me also use this post to correct a related misapprehension.  Some=20
people (I forget who) have assumed that Mr. Million is our Gene Wolfe,
the author.  But Aunt Jeannine's response on learning Number Five's
nickname -- "That number's either far too low or too high." -- makes it
clear that our Gene Wolfe was the progenitor of a long line of clones who=20
remained on Earth for many generations before one of them (later to=20
become Mr. Million) decided he would rather be a big fish in a small pond=20
and emigrated to St. Croix.

-- Stone Ox

--=20

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