After the Ice Age was prevented, rare species were reintroduced, extinct species were rebirthed and nonexistent species were created. Thus, grassland to the north of Clan Belov territory bears great herds of giraffes, lyrehorns and cheirosaurs and prides of lions. Wei, Captain of Clan Belov, is an ecological manager in reality and experiences prevention of the Ice in virtuality. (It is a relief to learn that there are some real jobs and responsibilities in this game-playing civilization.)
Wei's society is Japanese in two respects: elaborate ceremoniousness and the resort to suicide when honor or "...pride..." (p. 70) has been lost. Wei, who now shoots himself, had resorted to personal violence in the face of grotesque provocation that surely could have been dealt with by formal/legal procedures. The gross overreaction of suicide is the final proof that the values of this society are as crazy as a football bat.
I am working my way through Genesis one numbered section at a time because that is all that my current schedule allows for. Each of these sections compresses so much information into such a condensed form that it is very easy to read through them without retaining much of their content. Clearly, an entire novel could have been set in this single period.
1 comment:
Hi, Paul!
I agree, it was an OVER reaction by Wei, Captian of the Belov clan, to kill himself becaue he allowed anger over the gross insult given him by the Captain of the Socorro clan to get the better of him. I can't help but think or wonder if a dawning awareness of how powerless humanity truly was also led to Wei's suicide.
Sean
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