Pointsman's Fear

[Murthy Yenamandra]

RICHARD ROMEO writes:
> We all can agree that there is something definitely screwy about Edward 
> P.  But is his fear of Slothrop running freely amidst the population 
> totally invalid?  Slothrop being a symbol for the indeterminism, the cold 
> fear of no connections, or viable cause and effect.  Isn't it Pointsman's 
> actions which betray his humanity not necessarilly his ideas [..]

I don't think that Pointsman's fear of Slothrop running freely amounts
to much more than a weak excuse for his own agenda. His creepiness comes
across not only in his dog experiments and his unethical manipulation of
Pudding, but also his attitude of "If they think I'm creepy now, wait
till they see the real me" and "Who am I to worry about the moral
implications of working on Slothrop, that's the chaplain's job".

He's aware that he's creepy and he refuses to look inside himself for
the cause of that creepiness.  These are not the ideas or the actions of
a person with concern for humanity on his agenda. Not to say that he
doesn't deserve some sympathy for being that way and reflecting the
wider society's attitudes along a narrow band of inhumanity.

Murthy

-- 
Murthy Yenamandra, Dept of CompSci, U of Minnesota. mailto:yenamand at cs.umn.edu
    "What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?" - Nick Lowe