(urth) So who is the child in Baldander's bed? [was: Juturna, the Missing Sister]

[Lee Berman]

>Jack Smith- Severian uses the word "catamite" and so something must suggest a sexual
>element to him.  But I like the idea that the child is Baldander's son (or
>his Number Five).
 
No reason he can't be both (though Baldanders is dark haired). The thing is the word
"catamite" is used. Severian is not a real person who might have meaningless random 
musings. This is a fictionally created person whose every word has been crafted with
a purpose. As Jack suggests, we are compelled, purposefully, by the author, to think of
pedophilia because that word is used.

Now if that big baby (it is a very large baby I think, not a retarded older child) had 
been found with a bottle and rattle in a giant crib, then perhaps we could doubt that 
Baldanders had sexual intentions. But this baby is adorned with fancy accoutrements and
is chained to Baldanders' bed, which itself is decked out like a sybaritic 70's love nest.
Severian may have doubts about the baby's catamite status, but we cannot. 
 
Other parts of the story suggest Severian is in a constant state of denial when it comes 
to pedophilia. We may live in a Michael Jackson world where pedophilia jokes can be part 
of a comedian's monologue or a recurring character on Family Guy, but Gene Wolfe didn't. 
The Pelerines mention toleration of it, but it is a very sore subject for Severian, for 
some reason.
 
 
Pedophilia nicely conjoins with the ambience Wolfe builds regarding Baldanders' castle. 
The place is full of monstrosties, carved up human bodies experimented on and used for 
spare parts. The guy we had been led to believe was a dull, hulking servant has his evil
masterhood graphically revealed (both Severian and we had trouble earlier believing that
Baldanders was master of Dr.Talos, though the both assert it). For me the catamite simply
reinforces Baldanders' monstrous persona. His real child is Dr. Talos.
 
-
 
I find the introduction of a rather fantastic, or unpleasantly outrageous concept then 
clouding it with doubt to be a recurring trope in Gene Wolfe's work. I think the best
example is the suggestion that VRT has Dr. Marsch being killed and replaced by an abo. 
Perhaps an abo who forgets his own true identity. There are many seeds of doubt which are
planted in the story to allow denial that this is what happened. Enough to spark lively 
debate in past years on this forum. But then it was discovered that Gene Wolfe, in a rare
departure from reticence, openly acknowledges that the replacement of Dr. Marsch happened,
in one of his interviews.
 
>From this, I deduce that Occam's Razor often does not work in trying to understand Wolfe's
work. Surely sometimes a flying building turns out to be simply a tent cathedral playing hot 
airballoon. But also often, a more fantastic interpretation is the best, auctorially intended 
one.At the least we are meant to consider fantastic explanations on an equal par with mundane 
ones.