(urth) #

[Jerry Friedman]

From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com>
>On 7/21/2010 6:39 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>> Makes me wonder why Severian never had any expression of his power before 
>>Triskele.
>> As a torturer there would be no shortage of injuries and dead bodies around. I 
>>expect
>> it would be noticed if they started healing and coming back to life. Perhaps it 
>>was
>> seeing the image of his dead mother in the grave which triggered his abilities 
>>into
>> action.                         
>
> Or perhaps those traumas were perceived as just and did not arouse in him any 
>feeling of sympathy. Which
> would make for an interesting interpretation of his feelings for Thecla and the 
>nature of her trauma.

I suspect it's more about compassion than justice.  Severian has been trained to 
think of those people as "clients", the way sellers (not just Agia and Agilus) 
think of buyers.  Just as their words convey no more meaning than the squeaking 
of mice, their suffering doesn't arouse compassion in him.  Triskele's suffering 
does.

Jerry Friedman