Chance as luck; yashmeen as Fortuna; later perspective on an earlier part of ATD

[kelber at mindspring.com]

-----Original Message-----
>From: robinlandseadel at comcast.net

>      It's possible to be doubly preterite, both unlucky and 
>      economically disadvantaged, screwed over by both 
>      the Magical and the Capitalist.
>
>You mean liked that old woman with the arthritic hands who is picking up a 
>large green candle and placing it in her basket next to a 1/4 oz. vial of 
>money draw?

I recently eavesdropped on a conversation between two down-and-out types who were in the process of buying NY State Lotto tickets while commiserating with each other on their failure to win despite daily purchases.  "How come it's always someone from out of state who wins?  You ever notice that?"  "Yeah, the thing is fixed."  They realized that Lotto wasn't the friend of the little people, it was just another manifestation of The Man.  Still, they bought their tickets.


>      Mark Kohut:
>      Well, maybe....but the author is pretty careful not to 
>      argue that Luck is deserved.............just happens............
>      or usually doesn't............
>
>          "It wasn't exactly a religious experience, but somehow, a 
>          little at a time, she had found herself surrendering to her 
>          old need to take care of people. Not for compensation, 
>          certainly not for thanks. Her first rule became "don't 
>          thank me." Her second was "Don't take the credit for anything 
>          that turns out well." One day she woke up understanding clear 
>          as the air that as long as a person was willing to forgo credit, 
>          there were very few limits on the good it became possible to do.
>          AtD, p. 976

This quote refers to Stray, not Yashmeen.  Yashmeen uses her mathematical abilities to work the system (unless I've misread?) but the real people, as represented by Stray, are the unlucky.

Laura