Severian and final violence

maa32 · 14 Mar 2003, 14:10 · from urth-v0303.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) Severian and final violence
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 07:10:17 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0303-3081 at digest.urth.net>
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Recently, the part in Urth of the New Sun where Severian kills the female=20
torturer has been brought up as evidence that Severian is still far from be=
ing=20
Christ, or even the perfect Christian.

That's a fine and correct statement, but I think there is a more important=20
thematic reason for it.  If you look at the mythology invoked in The Book o=
f=20
the New Sun, from "Eschatology and Genesis" with the evil Jalee to the Uapp=
es=20
tribe of Brazil in the Botanical Gardens, you see that the evil deities are=20
overwhemlmingly female.  Over and over, you see scheming females, whose onl=
y=20
redemptive quality is their ability to birth children (thus the importance =
of=20
Dorcas being Severian's grandmother and being one of the few positive femal=
e=20
figures).  Severian overcomes these females, and even the threat of=20
emasculation by reasserting a manly rule - it's not a distinctly Christian=20
figure, but a powerful male figure who eliminated the unnecessarily cruel=20
female element of the torturers.  We all know that Ymar will abolish women=20
from the guild, probably because of his treatment at the hands of the woman=20
that Severian killed.  That act in the past liberates Ymar to rid the guild=
 of=20
women, and frees Severian in the future from having to deal with them in hi=
s=20
safe tower of masculine "might makes right but follow the pecking order"=20
guild.  Note that there really isn't that much duplicitousness of scheming =
in=20
the tower at the time of Severian - they just follow orders. I see that str=
ike=20
as a final assertion of the masculine future that Severian wants to be rais=
ed=20
in.  And I think he only saves Agia because of his presentiments - he knows=20
that she will save him from Vodalus and certain death in Citadel of the=20
Autarch, because he's gone through the cycle before, so everything seems=20
familiar to him.

Marc Aramini

--=20

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