ATDTDA: Webb, Lake, Deuce

[kelber at mindspring.com]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Paul Nightingale <isreading at btinternet.com>
Meeting Deuce he easily skips
>into the role of savant, "laying a reassuring hand on
>the kid's shoulder" (193). The section ends with Deuce
>thanking Webb for his advice at the poker game (194),
>confirming his role as surrogate son.

SOME SPOILERS

When all's said and done, Webb is a kind-hearted man.  Is there anyone who really thinks he deserved or was asking to be tortured to death, and by someone whom he had treated like a surrogate son?  Recall, from the last section:

p. 175:  "...sweet little girls had turned overnight into whooping, hollering brides of the multitude, obliging men in the family to take actions not always conducive to public calm ..."

Was his (and our) assumption that Lake was a prostitute and his resulting anger so out of line?  Reef and Frank went out in the world without any particular enmity towards him.  All 4 of his kids were aware of his dynamiting activities and seemed to have generally positive attitudes about it.  If he had been murdered by a total stranger, it might have been somewhat less tragic, but the fact is, his murder was set into motion because he tried to act fatherly towards a lonely young man.  The villain Scarsdale Vibe got his come-uppance by his alter-ego Foley.  His role as a father was inviolate.

Deuce Kindred's name could be taken to mean "double family." [unless TRP is paying homage/taking a swipe at Philip K. Dick - the K is for Kindred].  The family, which should be the source of warmth and safety is just as likely to be the source of coldness and pain.  The whole episode may have much to do about the duality of the family as it does with class struggle.  Lake's behavior is possibly the most horrific and inexplicable in the book.  By the end of the book, she's a sour, bitter woman, another "singleton" {someone mentioned merle as another], who has no one but herself to blame for her misery.  I'll admit, I don't have a clear grasp of what TRP was trying to do with this character, other than to imply that the misery she and Deuce share in their long, barren marriage, is meant to tip the karmic balance sheet.  Ultimately, she's the one who really avenges Webb's death.

Laura