M & D and ATD, thematic homage, parallels, etc.

[Tore Rye Andersen]

John Bailey:

>The other morning I got up and for some reason read the last few pages of 
>AtD and was struck by how terribly rich they are - and also how similar to 
>later parts of M&D. In both, we're asked to imagine an alternate future: in 
>M&D, it's the continuation of the guys Westing, and in the case of AtD it's 
>a post-war France where Kit and Dally could resurface and spend endless 
>nights happily (I even picked up the intimation that one or both had died 
>in the war, but I might be projecting there). Difference being, in M&D we 
>return from that imaginary journey, and in AtD we move on to the even more 
>fanciful world of the Chums, with their city-sized dirigibles 
>ever-expanding and, importantly, soon powered by light...

An excellent point! Do note, however, that even though we return from the 
imaginary journey of Mason and Dixon's continued Westering, the novel does 
end with another imaginary journey: that of William and Doc into the 
American West:

"Since I was ten," said Doc, "I wanted you to take me and Willy to America. 
I kept hoping, ev'ry Birthday, this would be the year. I knew next time 
you'd take us."
"We can get jobs," said William, "save enough to go out where you were,--"
"Marry and go out where you were," said Doc.
"The Fish jump into your arms. The Indians know Magick."
"We'll go there. We'll live there."
"We'll fish there. And you too."

That's a beautiful ending, full of hope and possibility - until one realizes 
what happened to this original promise, and remembers the chopped-down trees 
on the cover of 'Vineland', or Oedipa thinking:

"and how had it ever happened here, with the chances once so good for 
diversity?"

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