This is the discussion list Mick and I worked on before the meeting tonight:

What were the scenes between sections of the books?

  • dreams or sessions with other patients? (pp. 51-67)
  • many of them reference the suicide walker (pp. 61, 75, 82-84, 133-135)
  • one of them was a hunting scene with Sigmund, was this Render’s fear of Sigmund/Fenris?  (p.37)
  • the vital comedian was one of my favorite characters.  The “this is how we make cars” joke was the best most macabre thing ever.
Reality
  • subjective reality versus objective reality
  • the technology around Shaping assumes that the Shaper has an absolute idea of objective reality and can thus help the client escape their distorted ideas.  This turns out not to work so well.
  • what is the reality of the suicide walker?  the vital comedian?  Sigmund?
  • how does mythology help define this book’s reality?
  • how does Eileen’s reality change when she is alone, versus at work, versus with Render?  Do you think that her blindness helps her subjective reality be more concrete and stronger than other people’s?
Jung, Iconography, and Mythology
  • SO MUCH!  Dean help us out here.
  • how does Render use metaphor and image to effect his clients?
  • collective unconscious and how sharing two minds effects society’s ability to maintain static identities
Suicide
  • is suicide cross-cultural, like Eileen posits?
  • how does technology expand ways we can hurt and kill ourselves?
  • is Render’s final annihilation a suicide of sorts?
Technology expands our ability to hurt.
  • Fenris can talk even though it hurts him, and no one listens to him anyway.
  • the Render/Fenris similarity re: increased intelligence and technology create a barrier to authentic connection and the need to castigate those who you want to depend on you (“Fool!  Fool!  Fool!”)
  • Render’s decreasing ability to differentiate between his worlds and the real world
  • Render’s definition of new neuroses developing in response to increased physical comfort, e.g. loss of identity through malingering, switching egos with an ape, matter-of-fact suicides, ridiculously existential tv shows…
Grief
  • was Render’s overprotection of his son just a reaction to his wife and daughter’s death, or was there another motivating factor? (p.33)
  • how was the plot/character helped by his wife and daughter dying? (p.14)
  • Render was obviously incapable of dealing with his own grief, even if he intellectually understood it.  This affected his functioning as a boyfriend/therapist/father/person.
  • alcoholism!  intellectualization!  narcissism!
  • anxiety and misplaced anger or derision
  • narcissism and the need for absolute control over a world where he can ensure everyone will be safe
  • inability to commit or even emotionally connect with Jill
  • ability to connect intellectually (so, safely) and thus romantically with Eileen
Did Render love Jill?  (p.14)
  • from Jill’s perspective this was a Heinlein book – women are interchangeable, men are always stronger
  • did Jill love Render?
  • did anyone love anyone?  Are any of these characters lovable?
Peter and Render’s relationship
  • use of impressive language to distance and alienate (e.g. “father-image” p. 118)
  • overprotectiveness coupled by obligatory pressure to succeed intellectually
  • what was going on with Peter’s complete change of tone in his letters after meeting with the Air Force guy?
Flow
  • was it evident that it was serialized at some point?
  • did anyone else have difficulty following Render’s awareness from scene to scene? He can jump, that one.
  • the publication of the book that we have was riddled with typos.  Somewhat distracting.
The ending
  • like watching two trains moving toward each other on the same track in slow motion.  You know it will end badly, but you can’t look away.
  • did Eileen purposefully attack Render?
  • theories regarding the last scene
  • does anyone else want a hyper intelligent talking dog?
  • does anyone else want a hyper intelligent talking dog WHO STEALS YOUR CAR?