"'Hello, Christopher Holm,' [Tabitha Falkayn] said in Anglic.
"'I come as Arinnian,' he answered in Planha." (III, p. 465)
A person can adopt a language and a name from another human culture so why not also from an Ythrian culture? But we know that Arinnian would really like more than that:
"Of course, a car would cover the distance in less than an hour; but who wanted to fly caged in metal and plastic?" (I, p. 439)
(A human being in a hurry. Technology outperforms other species' speed, strength, sight etc.)
"O God, to have real wings!
"He donned a leather helmet and lowered the goggles which were his poor substitute for a nictitating membrane." (I, p. 441) (My emphasis.)
Would Arinnian appreciate a brain transplant as in ERB's The Master Mind Of Mars or a mind transplant as in Poul Anderson's "Call Me Joe"? Can the neuronic connections in a brain be rearranged to bear the memories and sense of identity of another organism? If that were possible and if Arinnian were able to find an Ythrian who wanted to be human, then their wishes could be granted.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
No wonder I found "Arinnian" such an irritating and unlikable character for much of THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND! The contempt he has for the human race grated on me. And I think Anderson MEANT it to be like that, for PEOPLE to be in some ways a bildungsroman for Christopher Holm.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
No sneer quotes. That is his name.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
If Christopher Holm had not been deprecating and denigrating the human race so often, I would have a higher opinion of him. For much of THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND he still comes across as unlikable, irritating, neurotic, and smug. I far prefer Tabitha Falkayn!
Christopher Holm interests me as a somewhat unusual character created by Anderson. A good character who was still unlikable. But I think also wanted the book to be thought of as a "coming of age" story, as Chris had some of the nonsense knocked out of him by hard experience and painfully gained wisdom.
Ad astra! Sean
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