Summary:
This section begins with a treasure-trove of information from Lysos'
Landing Day Address.
Here we go, Maia has now entered the Campbellian "Belly of the Beast."
Her captors take her to an abandoned male sanctuary, and leave her there to
rot. Maia eventually struggles out of her bonds, and finds a pitcher of
water, stacks of well-sealed warehouse stuff, and a chamber pot. Not
surprisingly, Maia suddenly feels like the boy who finally makes it inside
the girl's bathroom - and is bitterly disappointed.
That evening, loneliness returns. Additionally, we get a glimpse of
Maia's naivity, in thinking that Thalla and Kiel will look for her -
apparently not realizing that they, in fact, had played a role in betraying
her, along with Calma Lerner.
Maia manages to waddle from distraction to boredom for several days. She
exercises, acquires a few books to read from her captors, and even
practices with her sextant - although she never appears to actually succeed
in determining her position. Likewise, Morse Code appears to not have been
in Maia's training, and she ignores a nightly tapping on the wall that
comes every Midnight. The books, meanwhile, help expose her to the
thinking of other segments of society, from the Perkinites to the hopeless
var. The last book, produces a real shock for Maia - she and Leie were
named after twins in a classic novel abotu two vars who try pulling exactly
the same trick they had contemplated as being so creative and clever.
With this relevation, Maia again slips into despair.
The chapter ends with Maia being given the male-game of Life by her
captors.
Analysis:
At the beginning of this section, we learn that the seasonal cues for the
reproduction cycle were not pre-planned, but rather developed upon arrival.
Additionally, it also seems very likely that the Founders were unable to
survive on Stratos, and were thus confined to encounter suits and enclosed
habitats. This may explain the lake of a Lysos Clan and other Founder-Clans.
When Maia is tossed into her jail cell, she tosses two epithets: "Atyps"
and "Bleeders." The first one is obvious, in that anyone who is not a
clone (i.e. "typical') is in a lower social stratus. It is, however,
somewhat odd that Maia uses calling someone one of her own kind as a harsh
insult. This is in contrast to the more typical human reaction, such as
the popularity of African-Americans calling each other "niggers" or the
adoption of the term "gay" by the homosexual movement. In each of these
cases, the insult became a term of friendship and endearment. Yet, "atyp"
seems to still retain its insulting meaning for Maia. As for the second,
is it possible that the Founders have cured the womanly period? Thus,
"Bleeders" are genetic mutants who retain the primevil Earth trait of
mensturation?
On page 204-5, we get a glimpse at one of Brin's recurring themes. He
writes: "According to Savant Judeth, the aristocracies of ancient Earth
used to justify suppressing those below them on the basis of 'innate
difference,' an assumption that almost never survived scrutiny, once
opportunity came to rich and poor alike." The railing aginst elites is
common throughout Brin's literary works. This passage also evoked for me
the thoughts of the Xappish in _Startide Rising_ - namely how throughout
Galactic History every Client-rebellion had simply turned the formerly
rebellious Clients into new Patron elites. In that Universe, the tenure
of elites is limited by the genetically-programmed thirst for retirement
near gravitational tides. On Stratos, however, it does not appear that
there is any statue of limitations imposed on the tenure of elites that we
have seen so far - although the lack of "Founder-lines" suggests that one
may very well be present. So, does Dr. Brin think that perhaps the best
way to deal with elites is to limit their tenure, rather than eliminate
elites altogether?
We also get another reminder of the inequality of Stratoian society on
page 213. Earlier, we learned that men had voting rights, although they
were rarely exercised. Here, we learn that men technically have an avenue
to the highest seats of power, even though Maia knows of no examples. Is
this a positive or a negative? Is it good enough to simply have the
opportunity, even if it is never exercised? Is this a key feature that
makes Stratos a better place than the Perkinite Herlandia?
Maia also appears to again struggle with the conflict between the societal
Stratoian view of male-female relationships, and this internal desire she
has for male-female "Love", as on Earth. After reading a pulp
horror-novel about life on a Phylum colony world, Maia has dreams of
"wanting/not wanting someone for the rest of her life. ....A man?" This
internal desire may develop further, and may ultimately reflect Maia's true
importance as the centerpiece of this book.
Notes:
-Stratos is fairly unique in small size and in having a dense atmosphere.
(pg 195)
-Stratoians are modified for increased CO2 tolerance, increased visual
spectrum sensitivity, increased tolerance for UV radiation, as well as
improved kidneys, livers, and sense organs. (pg 195)
-The dwarf companion of this system is named Waenglen's Star
-Maias prison is likely made from igneous rocks, as they produce
"crystalline dust." (pg. 200) This is confirmed on pg. 208, where Maia
observes biotite and hornblende, two igneous minerals.
-A prominent constellation of the Northern Hemisphere is named "Sappho",
after the female Greek poet. (pg 210)
-The Founders departed from the colony of Florentina. (pg. 214)
-Stratoians have a gesture similar to the Christian/Catholic sign of
"crossing", where they draw a circle over their breast. (no word on which
one. :) (pg. 216)
Animals:
-Zoor-floaters: active in the evening, are apparently common in both
prairie and sea habitats. (pg. 216)
Clans:
-Guel: Harsh faced, massive, allied with Beller. (pg 198)
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
