interpretations

[Paul Mackin]

On Tue, 30 Jan 1996 ethan at magicnet.net wrote:

> There is a section about 2/3rds of the way through the novel where Katje
> and Pirate are together, and there is some meeting that I think is supposed
> to be Hell, but I never could place this section in the story (I'm sorry
> about details, I have not read it in a while).  Does anyone have a take on
> these events?

You are referring the episode starting on p. 537 (Viking ed.) with
the epigram: Dear Mom, I put a couple of people in Hell today. . . .

It seems to me the epigram, purported to be from the Gospel of Thomas,
may actually be a takeoff on a kind of cautionary writing for Catholic
youth which may still have been prevalent in Tom's day. Boy and girl
go out riding in the car and commit some indecent act (or even have
indecent thoughts about such). Driving home car goes off the road
and girl is killed. Boy's words are "Father, I sent Mary (or whomever)
straight to hell." Anyway, that's the ring I get in _my_ ear. Think
the stories may have been called _Ask Father Jim_, or something like
that. Ah Wilderness!

Tom, no longer in thrall, modifies the sentiment to suit Pilot and Katje's
descent into the Underworld. There are a lot of other Catholic
themes in the episode. Sin, Priests, Jesuits, Devil's Advocate, Critical Mass
(a pun), Confession, Return. Contrasts between the little brother's
set's devotion to those priests with Pilot's religious affiliation, which is
Chapel, and much more probably which I can't remember.

How to place the episode in the book is anyone's guess. A
chance to get our favorite Firm couple together one last time? Also
Father Rapier's sermon (or whatever it is) against Return does sort
of give the Us/Them argument one final turn of the screw.

All idle specultion, of course.

					P.