The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story - Chpt 16
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:00 am
Chapter 16 of the Real Story, features Angus Thermo-Pile at his lowest point, nearing despair.
I will not do a summary of the chapter per se; I assume everyone has read it. If not, go back and do so before reading this any further.
In general, the Real Story is a puzzle to the reader, purposely so. Even by chapter 16, we still do not know what is really going on. We do know Angus the best of any character. Yes, he is an evil, vile, despicable, rotten, worthless, scumbag of a human being, but by now we know his background, and our disgust and anger is tempered by that knowledge. A measure of sympathy has leaked into our feelings. The mispronunciation of his name by Nick Succorso is actually a good description of a piece of Angus – he is a mass of seething anger, a pile ready to reach critical mass, which overwhelms any other emotions, even one he fights not to recognize – his admiration and “love” for Morn Highland.
Of course describing this as love is simplistic. Angus has been twisted by the tortures of his infancy - the crib – and only when he is horribly afraid is he at his best. In all the quick intuitive moves he has made throughout the book to enable his desperate escapes, near crazed fear is what has motivated him. And fear has made him successful, until now. What could have been real love is warped into jealousy, hatred of himself for caring about her, which translates into brutality towards her, and maybe some guilt? Though I see no literal evidence of guilt in the text, I think Angus realizes that nothing can change the way Morn feels towards him, nothing would ever be enough to overcome the vile way he has treated her.
His other, and unsullied, love, Bright Beauty, is now on its last legs, horribly crippled by Nick’s attack. Bright Beauty is a machine, with immense power until now, a machine that has fulfilled his needs, yet still a machine so it can not ever hurt him itself as could a human being. And now, in this chapter, he discovers that Morn has betrayed him – not that he deserves any better treatment, of course, - much, much worse in fact – but Angus is shaken and hurt to the core. Anger and sadness are often two sides of the same coin, just as the name Angus can refer to both Anger and Anguish.
Uncharacteristically, Angus does not know what to do for a bit, he is frozen when he discovers Morn has done something to “betray” him while he slept. When he discovers the stockpile of goods in his secret holds, he knows there is no way out. His ship is crippled and he knows the goods will be discovered.
He is bringing Morn to Mallory’s. Something is up. What it is we do not yet know.
P.S.
I find the analysis of the secret meaning of the earlier words from Nick to Morn unconvincing – quite a bit of a stretch, in fact. I would never have been able to glean anything like Morn supposedly did from his few sentences. Donaldson added Nick passing a note to her, which really is what told her what to do.
THE END
OF THIS REVIEW OF CHAPTER 16
Really.
I will not do a summary of the chapter per se; I assume everyone has read it. If not, go back and do so before reading this any further.
In general, the Real Story is a puzzle to the reader, purposely so. Even by chapter 16, we still do not know what is really going on. We do know Angus the best of any character. Yes, he is an evil, vile, despicable, rotten, worthless, scumbag of a human being, but by now we know his background, and our disgust and anger is tempered by that knowledge. A measure of sympathy has leaked into our feelings. The mispronunciation of his name by Nick Succorso is actually a good description of a piece of Angus – he is a mass of seething anger, a pile ready to reach critical mass, which overwhelms any other emotions, even one he fights not to recognize – his admiration and “love” for Morn Highland.
Of course describing this as love is simplistic. Angus has been twisted by the tortures of his infancy - the crib – and only when he is horribly afraid is he at his best. In all the quick intuitive moves he has made throughout the book to enable his desperate escapes, near crazed fear is what has motivated him. And fear has made him successful, until now. What could have been real love is warped into jealousy, hatred of himself for caring about her, which translates into brutality towards her, and maybe some guilt? Though I see no literal evidence of guilt in the text, I think Angus realizes that nothing can change the way Morn feels towards him, nothing would ever be enough to overcome the vile way he has treated her.
His other, and unsullied, love, Bright Beauty, is now on its last legs, horribly crippled by Nick’s attack. Bright Beauty is a machine, with immense power until now, a machine that has fulfilled his needs, yet still a machine so it can not ever hurt him itself as could a human being. And now, in this chapter, he discovers that Morn has betrayed him – not that he deserves any better treatment, of course, - much, much worse in fact – but Angus is shaken and hurt to the core. Anger and sadness are often two sides of the same coin, just as the name Angus can refer to both Anger and Anguish.
Uncharacteristically, Angus does not know what to do for a bit, he is frozen when he discovers Morn has done something to “betray” him while he slept. When he discovers the stockpile of goods in his secret holds, he knows there is no way out. His ship is crippled and he knows the goods will be discovered.
He is bringing Morn to Mallory’s. Something is up. What it is we do not yet know.
P.S.
I find the analysis of the secret meaning of the earlier words from Nick to Morn unconvincing – quite a bit of a stretch, in fact. I would never have been able to glean anything like Morn supposedly did from his few sentences. Donaldson added Nick passing a note to her, which really is what told her what to do.
THE END
OF THIS REVIEW OF CHAPTER 16
Really.
]