Complete Control? - Sirens of Titan

A re-occuring question of whether we are in complete control of our own destinies has been a topic for many philosophers and thinkers for quite some time. Free will seems to run through this novel as several characters battle against what they see to be their destinies.

Early on in the story, the character Beatrice is told what her fate will be and she rebels against this prophecy, but continues to be assured about the events that will take place are unchangeable. She tries to do everything she can to avoid this fate, but in doing so she fulfills the prophecy. The same goes for Malachi as he tries to avoid his destiny.

It is as if every character is imaging that they have the capacity to transcend their destiny by making decisions they feel they are in control of.

This begins to ask many questions in the novel dealing with "God" and religion. One of which is how the Constant's came about their luck. Noel Constant using the initials from the first words of the Bible to determine which companies to invest in is pretty crazy, but this brings up the question of it being blind luck or the strength of some higher power. If it being blind luck, it can still be considered fate and would make for a great story. If this is the power of God, then what does this mean? Or is fate just another part of "Gods" plan to give people flexibility in believing what the wish?

The style of science fiction that is introduced by the author when we arrive on Mars is somewhat humorous. The antennas that are described to be installed in the soldiers heads is amusing. They definitely call back to the iconic "Martians" that have antennas. Especially how they are all marching in unison, taking orders, and acting very robotically without any outside emotions. One aspect that I like is how they are able to question there actions internally for brief moments before they feel pain from the antennas.

Triumphs and animism - Anansi Boys

This story is interwoven with numerous examples of good and or innocence, winning out over evil. A good example is in romantic relationships with Fat Charlie and his brother Spider. A somewhat shy and unassertive youth, Fat charlie worships his fiancee Rosie and plays along with her game of no sex before marriage. Then Spider appears on the scene and promptly starts sleeping with Rosie, breaking his brother's heart and revealing Rosie as somewhat of a phoney. But by the end of the story Fat Charlie has married Daisy, the cop, and is raising a son. I sense that this is a better match for Fat Charlie and that his goodness and honesty have amply rewarded him.

The author summons the dark beliefs of animism, showing how they work in peoples' lives, then banishes those beliefs by showing how they are powerless to overcome the innate goodness of most people. By dragging these animistic beliefs and characters into the sunlight, they lose their power which is based upon manipulation of human beings through fear.

Theme - Time - The Night Circus

I found that "time" plays an interesting role in the novel, particularly in the way that it affects the circus performers. Time is most directly symbolized through the clock Herr Thiessen builds for the courtyard. Seemingly at first, it just looks as a beautiful black clock with white face and silver hands, but as it is wound, it begins to take a life of its own. Its face, like puzzle pieces, slowly fall away and morphs from white to grey and finally to black. It's described as something "dreamlike", bring light to the circus theme of creating a "dream world" where visitors walk during the night. All of the circus performers seem to be magically protected from the effects of time, non of them, except for the Murray twins, have aged a day since the circus opened. The only person to actually question the nature of time within the circus is Lainie Burgess, who dies shortly after raising her questions.

In the end, Widget insinuates that the entire novel is an allegory to time. At the end of the novel, Widget begins retelling the story, starting with the first line, again hinting at the cyclic nature of time. There is no sense of time within a dream world, which is likely what Morgenstern is hunting at with the novel's jumbled and fragmented format. The novel jumps around in time, highlighting the way past, present, and future are all intertwined.

Good vs Evil, Friendship and Understanding -Lord Fouls Bane

Most of the people in this land that Thomas was transported to talk about a person called the Creator. Even tho no one can describe what he is, they do say he created the earth and is the enemy of Lord Foul. The creator is accounted as someone who is caring for the earth but can't destroy Lord Foul. The creator is the good.

The evil one would therefore be Lord Foul. Most of the plains folk refer to him as the gray slayer, giants call him the soulcrusher, and many more differnt names. Lord Foul is not given a name, body, or description of what he looks like. He has these servants that can morph into anything they want. Most of the people that serve Lord Foul are  ugly and enjoy killing.

One thing I picked up on was how the ring would change color between night and day which was signifying good and evil. It also put emphasis on the fight going on inside Thomas' mind because he is unsure on what to do .

For Thomas, he is definitely a broken man throughout the story and is in need of friendship, but refuses to show emotion or open up with anyone. This begins to hurt him greatly as the story plays out. So he fills himself with rage and cuts himself off from the world thinking on nothing but his disease. He pushes everyone away and has pushed himself to hate and anger so long that he has no ability to cry. A piece of his humanity is gone. He feels sure that he can't survive if he looses his hate because that is the thing that has kept him safe for so long.

There is so many things that Thomas has to unravel. He has no idea why he has found himself in the land, or what this Lord Foul wants, if it is a dream or not and what decision he has to make in the end. The destroy the land or to save it.

The Albino

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I have not finished the book, however, what I have read so far has been enjoyable. I can say the first thing that peaked for me was how Sunny is a Albino. I have read only 1 other story where a character has suffered from this disability, which was by Dean Koontz. So my initial response to Sunny was that albinism is going to play a huge role in how she handles people and specific situations. It was refreshing to read that albinism, and disabilities in general are not treated like impurities that ruin a character but rather define aspects of them. This caught me off guard and I was pleased with that.

I figured Sunny to be a weak character due to her disability, however, this was completely the opposite. Albinism affected her in a positive way. Having to deal with the physical and social aspects of her disability, built much confidence in her character. Her integrity was unaffected and she was not afraid to defend herself.

She is also athletic, adventurous and a very confided youth who is quick to challenge those who question her looks etc. I would imagine most characters with albinism are meek and easily manipulated. She is not. This is where the "magical albino comes into play.

It was nice to read how the author created this society that showcases how a person's abilities are influenced by their physical features etc. More striking or harsh the disability, the more extreme or powerful the magic.

With the latter being said, I was drawn to think about XMEN, and also Harry Potter. More of Harry Potter in terms of the society that is training the leopards to take on something powerful.

Isolation

Isolation was a apparent theme in this novel that I picked up on immediately. Throughout the story, isolation and self alienation are primary themes and the main character has, throughout his entire life, chosen a path of self isolation to avoid emotional connections to the outside world. Due to his obsession with the sheep, the Sheep Professor also chose isolation as opposed to existing within the world. The Rat has chosen isolation from others due to his desire for others to not see him give in to weakness. I feel “The Boss” chose isolation because of a need to run his empire in the shadows. I feel like the many outcomes in the novel are created through the self isolation that these characters experience. It is as if the characters have chosen the simple minded aspect of the sheep over the more complex world of society or social interactions.

Focusing on the main character at the beginning of the story, shows that the loneliness that he feels is not specifically related to the absence of his ex-wife, but the absence of someone else in the apartment. He never mentions that he misses her as a person, but focuses on her belongings and her presence.

One aspect of cultural reference, through research, that I noticed was Japaneses animism. Meaning the belief that power can exist within any specific object individually. This is shown through the whale penis and more clearly through the discussion of the woman's ears having strong power, both over the woman, others, and the main character. It also shows the ears as the main characters focus of their relationship.

Louis and Lestat

        I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about vampires. The relationship that I am focusing on is between Louis and Lestat. There were feelings that left me to think about the many unspoken emotions between the two main characters. I found there was a intense sexual tension of the novel and layers of affection between Louis and Lestat. Also that they were dependent of each other as well. Anne Rice wrote this novel during the era of the gay rights movement in the USA which can easily assure me that this had some impact on her writing.

There was an immediate reaction about Lestat regarding how he uses seduction to manipulate Louis into doing what he wants, by seducing to become a vampire and to eventually kill. This was quite easy for Lestat seeing how Louis was taken in by the physical beauty of himself, as well as giving him his word of a new life without the rules of human desires. Obviously, Louis accepts the offer.

After Louis’ transformation, they both live together on his large plantation for quite some time. It becomes apparent that Lestat is a self serving narcissist and his only push for remaining close to Louis is based on finance. Louis is holding on to humanity and his moral standards by feeding on animals. Meanwhile Lestat thoroughly enjoys taking the lives of humans. There is a very clear tension with Louis that is driving him mad. Its apparent that he struggles with not feeding on humans after having experienced it already, but there is something to be said about his humanity that remains. I feel this goes very deep into his character. I myself would never imagine a vampire not willing to kill a human for feeding. This shows me that Louis has retained an aspect of his humanity even after full transformation, or maybe this is due because Lestat continues to withhold information  from Louis the he needs to know regarding his transformation? Perhaps Louis is different than any other vampire and has a specific role in the course of their breed?