Haakon and his men in two boats aided by Tauno underwater fight the tupilak. Haakon and some others and one of the boats are lost but, despite this, Tauno manages to dismantle and deactivate the horrific manufactured monster. Then:
"When Tauno, air-breathing, reached the second boat, he felt the wind on his brow like an austere benediction." (p. 179)
Extraordinary. That wind which has whined, moaned, threatened and brought winter suddenly becomes a blessing when the story requires one! The immediate struggle at least has ended. We turn the page to learn what will happen next in Chapter X. Tauno and Eyjan still have a mission to fulfill.
2 comments:
Humans have an inherent tendency to project intentionality onto nature. It's a by-product of our intense sensitivity to intentionality and other aspects of personality in other human beings -- for obvious evolutionary reasons.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, but I think we sometimes overanalyze this--here Anderson was using the wind for literary and psychological effect.
Ad astra! Sean
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