MDMD(5)---Better Copy----Chap 15 Plot Summary

[Eric Alan Weinstein]

Chapter 15----Reason’s Translocation to The Other Side of Windward

One of Maskelyne’s academic interests, "The Attraction of Mountains", 
and his constant practical interest in his no-darn-good plum line ("My 
career, my Life,--hanging from a damn’d Pin!") conspire to  have him 
and Mason shift over to the Other Side of the island, a position sane 
Waddington never would take up. This shall prove to be the chilling 
Other Side in several respects, for what the Wind does to people, or 
brings to people, is outside of Reason’s firm-seeming boundaries. [p158]

Between the Devil’s Garden and the Gates of Chaos lies the Pynchon Farm 
Bus, driven by three-eyed Johnny M, who seems to prefer this place to LA-----
{no,  I’m sorry, the peculiar atmospheres of this part of the island is
affecting my 
perception most Strangely}------the British East India Company Fort at Sandy 
Bay, "silent windward  side companion to  the great Fort at James’s Town,"
[p159].
 Of this place, a ghostly German soldier (formerly) of John’s Company tells
Nevile:
"The Wind owns this island (
) What awful Pride, to keep a Station here.
Who would ever invade, by way of this mortal coast?" [p161] 

   The soldiers of the place seem to know this is a fool’s position, but they
 play their parts, firing guns into the wind, while taking massive bets upon
 each other’s rate of decline into madness.

   Nevile takes a walk among the Cliffs, where he meets Dieter, who at this
 point he thinks is just a sad, disgruntled living soldier. Dieter knew not of
 what or where he was going to and getting himself in for  when he took the
 Company’s £20.[160] Deserving of sympathy, Nevile wishes to buy the poor
 boy out of service [162], but, alas, things will prove to be Other than as they
 seem. Charlie asks Nevile if Clive, of In-di-a will pay, but it seems the
 answer is always No. Charles has an elaborate day-dream about being
 back in London society, and receiving the thanks of Clive for his 
brother-in-law  in the form of a beautiful envelope full of  Thanks
 for Watching Nevile. Mason also day-dreams "Mishaps for Maskelyne,
 many of them Vertical in Nature." [162]

   Then comes Mason’s ghostly visitations. His beloved wife Rebekah
returns to him. He runs out of doors in the middle of the night, past 
Maskelyne’s oddly coloured Obs suit, "down onto  the floor of a 
ruin’d ebony forest, where among fog-wisps and ancient black logging
 debris polished by the Wind, (where) she accosts him." [p163]
But he seems  to tell more of his world to her than she divulges 
of her world  to him and us. Pity. However, we do learn that Rebekah
calls her husband  Mopery, which is nothing I’ve yet knowingly 
committed. [p165]

    The scence abruptly shifts to the time of Dixon’s
return. Mason confides to him about his Visitations in a way he could
not with Maskelyne. Dixon seeks to both confort Mason and to keep
a safe distance at the same time. Here we have an isnstance of
"approach and avoid" which is not just foolishness, but is near the 
essence of practical friendship. Dixon tries to listen and offer advice;
and thus encourages Mason to tell him of his wife, and how they 
came to be together. [p166]



   
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Eric Alan Weinstein
University of London
E.A.Weinstein at qmw.ac.uk