Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Small price for birdsong
So how did everyone else interpret the relationship between the main character and Subtilius? It seemed to me that Subtilius was like a best friend who knew exactly what the main character was thinking before he did and could manipulate his emotions by pointing out the things he hates most about himself. I suppose the term "best friends" may not be the most appropriate description as they were both plotting to kill each other, but they definitely knew each other better than anyone else. I just can't figure out whether they really hate one another or just don't want to associate because they know each other's darkest secrets. Either way, they both seem like terrible people to me.
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I feel like it was less of a best friends thing and more of a mentor/protege relationship. The problem was that the main character was secretly jealous of Subtilus's skill and the fact that he took it for granted and didn't really respect music enough. While Subtilus did not respect and indeed scorned the main guy for his lack of skill. I see the relationship as sort of a polite hatred that, of course, results in them trying to kill each other.
ReplyDeleteI think to understand the relationship between the two characters requires taking note of ways in which this world seems to be different from ours. In particular, the way they describe music. It's all very flowy and intuitive. I'm not doing a good job of explaining what I mean. But I think their relationship is kind of similar. They see each other's signatures in their actions and words and understand things that aren't immediately on the surface.
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