unsub, bananas & Kenosis

[RICHARD ROMEO]

Funny that bananas came up because I meant to give evidence of Pirate's 
humanity in response to my idea of Pirate's dream encompassing the whole 
of GR.  In the first few pages when the Banana breakfast is discussed, I 
couldn't help but think of the flowery description of the smells, etc. 
from the breakfast as a representation of  Christ offering communion-the 
line about cursing death and everlasting life or some such certainly 
lends itself to this reading-I was puzzled however with this idea (Pirate 
as Christ-like) when compared to Pirate's actions in the hell chapter-I 
reread some of that and the one line there that sticks is when Katje says 
that no matter what they believe of good or bad we (K and Pirate) will 
always be not of the people-they are the only ones who refuse to or rebel 
against what has been wrought- on us humans-notice the action of the 
other characters in this chapter and how they accept their fate-Katje and 
Pirate don't (not without much pain mind you)-in effect saying to us 
readers are these characters evil for rebelling against "them" (good or 
bad) for the fate humanity or all living things are faced with-existence 
and all its horrors-hence they're ultimate loneliness.  My comparison 
with Christ and Pirate would relate to their compassion/disgust  for an 
existence that ultimately is not theirs and their sorrow/anger at what 
humanity does to fend off ultimate questions. (Christ was a rebel; so was 
Lucifer)
Anyway, I believe the bananas represent the body of Christ and it fits 
well with the quote about the word and shit that is mentioned during the 
discussion of Slothrop's heritage later in the first part of the book-I 
can't remember it exactly.