Peace-Discuss-The Chinese Garden Dream

  • I have my thoughts on the meaning of the paper lantern, but I'd like to hear other people's (if they have any) before influencing them with mine. Also, when I was composing this page, I had the thought that maybe Weer leaving the dry stone river and taking the sandy path corresponds to his leaving his schooling and starting out on his career, i.e., graduating from college. If this is so, then it provides information for our timeline, but it also plays havoc with my previous theories as to when Aunt Olivia died. I'd like to think about this for a while before sticking it in the page. Any thoughts? -- Stone Ox 20070925
    • I'm reconsidering the idea about the change in paths being his schooling and then career. I now think it's more likely to be the change of careers implied by the "What went wrong" section -- from a helper on the Lorn's farm to plant engineer. -- StoneOx 20070928
      • Never mind my last comment. I can't tell what the change of paths represents (although I'm guessing it's a change of direction in Weer's life. Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts on the significance of cedars and cypresses? Googling gives some websites that say that cypresses represent death, and cedars represent Christ, eternal life, eternity, or long life. So I think there's something there, but I'm not sure exactly what. Any comments? -- StoneOx 20071013
        • Cypress branches were commonly used in mourning rituals, the trees planted in cemeteries etc. (My Brewer says "dedicated by the Romans to Pluto, because when once cut it never grows again.") Also Noah's Ark was built of it, although can't see that having any significance here. Cedar I think is taken to symbolize Christ, faith, the church etc, because of the passage in the Song of Songs. But of course it was a useful building material in Biblical times. -- Mo 20071015
  • Chinese paper lanterns contain fire, certainly in this time period. I think the broken lantern represents Julius Smart, the fire suitor. The fact that it's broken could represent how he's a broken man after Vi's death or from being cuckolded. Anyone agree with my interpretation?

For what it's worth, I think there's a possibility that Smart was at least partially involved with Vi's death as well, and his metaphorical presence in the Chinese garden dream might allude to that. There's a curious line towards the end of the novel about how Peacock and Smart were the very best of friends. If Smart suspected Vi was cheating on him, he might have asked Peacock to follow her or even ask him to kill her and make it look like an accident. Or maybe Smart borrowed Peacock's car (which had never been seen in Cassionville) and Peacock put two and two together and felt guilty for not going to the police and/or for loaning Smart his car. That scenario actually makes more sense to me than Peacock killing Vi, but if Wolfe said it was Peacock, then it must be Peacock.

--DarthEd November 28, 2011, at 05:31 AM

  • It would be really good to get a reference for that 'admission' of Wolfe's, if we can. I've done a bit of searching, but so far only found repetition of the claim or of Borski's statement. -- Mo December 02, 2011, at 09:00 AM
    • When I searched, I came up with the same repeated claims that Wolfe said Peacock killed Vi but without any references to where exactly he said it. I suspect it's in the same interview that Borski references: Thrust #19 (Winter/Spring 1983). I can't find that issue of that magazine anywhere on the Internet, but I believe the interview is reprinted in Peter Wright's book, Shadows of the New Sun: Wolfe on Writing, Writers on Wolfe. You can read some of the pages on Google Books. Unfortunately, I think the pages that deal with Peace are not visible on Google Books. Or at least they weren't when I tried. (It's possible I hit my monthly quota of pages accessed on Google Books.) I'm hoping to get a physical copy of that book at some point.
      P.S. Any comments on my paper lantern interpretation? --DarthEd December 03, 2011, at 05:13 AM
      • I think your idea that the paper lantern represents fire is a good one, but I'm not going to be convinced until I see an interpretation of the dream where all the pieces fit together. I'm fairly confident about the dead bird being Aunt Olivia, and the fallen troll being Prof. Peacock, but the rest of it baffles me. --stoneox December 3, 2011.
        • What else is there? There's the dead bird, the earthenware troll, the broken Chinese paper lantern... The symbolism of the trees is discussed above. What else is baffling you? --DarthEd December 03, 2011, at 07:27 PM
          • There's also climbing out of the dry riverbed and taking the path through the trees. And should the water suitor and the air suitor come into this as well? Maybe not. Let me think about it. --stoneox December 4,2011, at 8:43 PM
            • I'm starting to like the idea that the paper lantern represents Julius. After all, it was an earthenware troll. And if we want to put the water suitor and the air suitor into this interpretation, we also have the river of stones and the cold wind. --stoneox December 15, 2011.
              • Actually, my current theory (which I've been meaning to post for like 5 weeks now, sorry) is that the dead bird represents the air suitor and the dry streambed (or river of stones, as you put it) represents the water suitor. The whole Chinese garden represents Vi's life. At some point, we should incorporate these new theories into the main page.... --DarthEd January 19, 2012, at 08:18 PM
    • Here it is: From X,Y,Z,T: Dimensions of Science Fiction by Damien Broderick, via Google Books. There's a very nice essay on Wolfe's works, with an emphasis on Peace. Here is the relevant quote: "In that year, I raised some of these points with Gene Wolfe, who confirmed my guess about `weerwolfe', which made me happy; agreed that Professor Peacock was indeed Aunt Vi's motorized killer, which made me chuckle and rub my hands together maniacally; and drew back in distress from my suggestion that Gold's invented `gold' actually came into existence as a result of his forged document, only to be retrieved by Alden. No, no, Wolfe said, pained; Peace is, on that level, a work of realism. Alden is rich because he is Aunt Vi's heir, and therefore crabby old Julius Smart's." More good stuff there as well, including the name of Julius Smart's synthetic orange drink: T'ang. --stoneox December 3, 2011.
      • Thanks for tracking down the source! Tang was kind of obvious, I thought. We're told the drink was named by Vi and that it references her affinity for Chinese culture. --DarthEd December 03, 2011, at 07:27 PM
        • Heh, I hadn't got that! (Perhaps because Tang doesn't exist over here… that's my excuse, anyway.)
          But yes, that's great re the car, good find. -- Mo December 04, 2011, at 10:28 AM
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