VV (19) Disposal of Profane

[Samuel Moyer]

Coming to the end of VV (19)  leaving much unsaid and taking too long
between posts...  we have to press on to VV(20) and some unanswered
questions before August preferably....

But a couple final notes on chapter 16...

Does anyone doubt that Profane and Brenda commit suicide?  Page 455:

Hand in hand with Brenda... Profane ran down the street.....  Profane and
Brenda continued to run through the abruptly absolute night, momentum alone
carrying them toward the edge of Malta, and the Mediterranean beyond.


I also skipped over some paranoia of Stencils.. see page 449-451...

Profane says he is just along for the ride... Stencil replies that he
doesn't think he believes him any longer.

Then Stencil tells him his trip into the sewers, where he was shot.

Then to Maijstral on 451:

"Stencil went out of his way to bring Profane here.  He should have been
more careful; he wasn't.  Is it really his own extermination he's after?"

Of course Stencil has stayed away from Valletta for a reason... now that he
is there, he is worried that he will suffer from his father's fate... maybe
he does... we don't know if he makes it to Stockholm... his dad caught a
ship out of Valletta and ... well, seems we never really know for certain if
he dies either.

Anyway... this seems an important page for understanding the nature of V.
again, 451:

Maijstral turned smiling to him. Gestured behind his back at the ramparts of
Valletta.  "Ask her." he whispered.  "Ask the rock."

In the paragraphs before, starting on page 450 we get other descriptions...
"V.'s is a country of coincidence, ruled by a ministry of myth...."

Also:
"God knows how many Stencils have chased V. about the world." (451)

Anyway... let's talk about this in connection with the Epilogue and the
conclusion of the novel...  What or Who is V.?

Sam