(urth) Babbie

James Wynn crushtv at gmail.com
Wed Mar 18 22:09:57 PDT 2009


> Witz: I think there's some timeline screw up here.
> When Horn get's permission, he's plain Horn. The Rajan writes about it 
> after the fact, with his Horn memories.
> he'd have to be lying, which is of course possible, but...

When tBotSS starts, it is the Raja who is writing. Not only is he Horn, but 
he is also Silk. He has already flown to Green and died, returned to the 
Whorl, and come back to rule. The Raja is a Neighbor, but he has all of 
Horn's memories and identity within him. Same for Silk. 100% of what Horn 
was is within him. 100% of Silk.

The Raja makes a choice to assert Horn within him. He could have chosen to 
do the same for Silk. He doesn't for a very obvious reason. When he says 
he's Horn, he's not lying. He's disturbed. As so often is the case with 
Wolfe's characters, he's telling a lie that is also the truth, but it's not 
the whole truth.

He denies his Neighborness for the same reason he denies he is 
Silk...because if he's really "not-Horn" then Horn is dead and he killed 
him. It is not until after the battle that he embraces who he is at a 
conscious level. But he still can't bring himself to face Hoof and Hide on 
the day he leaves for the Whorl --as he says-- because he killed their 
father.

J.

Marble:
"It was I, the one who prayed, who lied and lied too. I know that must seem 
illogical, yet it was so."
On Blue's Waters, Chap. 3 




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