Hyacinths and Weeds

Charles Reed · 25 Nov 2002, 18:24 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: "Charles Reed" <cmreed at link.com>
Subject: (urth) Hyacinths and Weeds
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 12:24:25 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0211-2235 at digest.urth.net>
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Howdy again.

I've always been a little puzzled by how the passage Remora quotes=20
("Though trodden beneath the shepherd's heel, / the wild hyacinth blooms=20
on the ground.") at the end of RttW is able to affect the re-emergence=20
of Silk.  Of course, there's the very suggestive reference to Hyacinth,=20
but I've always felt there had to be something a little more to this=20
passage. =20

I'm still not sure I have a handle on it, but I just finished my first=20
re-reading of THE URTH OF THE NEW SUN in well over a decade. =20

[Side note:  My first reading left me a little cold, but the second=20
reading improved it considerably, although it's still my least favorite=20
of the the "Sun" books.  I think the reason has to do with it's being=20
more of a "philosophical" work than one in which I become strongly,=20
emotionally involved with the characters.  Still, there were a great=20
many things made clear to me that had been fuzzy, so it's definitely=20
worth a re-read or two.]

In any case, I found a really nice passage, that bears at least=20
peripherally on the Remora quote.  It occurs in Chapter L, and the=20
setting is this:  After Severian, as Apu-Punchau, attempted to leave the=20
stone village and walk to the sea, the villagers caught up with him and=20
killed him when he refused to come back.  Afterwards, Severian awoke to=20
find himself with his old cacogen friends: Barbatus, Ossipago, and=20
Famulimas.  Severian is disturbed by the fact that he hasn't been=20
allowed to die.  Pay special attention to the last line.

      "I suppose that even if I were to kill myself,
   Ossipago could still call me back to existence."
      Barbatus shook his head, though not as a human
   being would have.  "There would be no point -- you
   could take your life again.  If you truly want to
   die, go ahead.  There are funeral offering here
   [referring to the funeral offerings of Apu-Punchau],
   including a great many stone knives.  Ossipago will
   bring you one."
      I felt as real as I ever have; and when I
   searched among my memories, I found Valeria there
   still, and Thecla and old Autarch, and the boy
   Severian (who had been Severian only).  "No," I
   said.  "We will live."
      "I thought so."  Barbatus smiled.  "We've known
   you half our lives now, Severian, and you're a weed
   that grows best when stepped upon."

Perhaps there's no real connection other than a thematic one, but it was=20
a powerful connection for me, and somehow makes Remora's quote more=20
powerful.  It's as if somehow Silk, like Severian, has to make a choice=20
about whether to continue living.  And he is confronted with the two=20
things that have been the most important things in his life -- Hyacinth=20
and the Shepherd (i.e., the Outsider) and finally realizes that if he=20
does not continue to live he will cause the Hyacinth-that-lives-in-him=20
and the Outsider-that-lives-in-him, to die.  He cannot do such a thing=20
so he (like Severian, who cannot allow all those who are within him to=20
die), chooses to live.

Wolfe continually amazes me.

Charles

--=20

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