Aryut walks out in the snow to die. He will be killed either by the elements or by the pursuing Cloud People. Of course his surroundings are appropriate:
shadowy ravine;
hunched alders;
glimmering stars;
smoking breath;
rumbling waves;
grinding ice.
When Ralph Corwin asks Wanda Tamberly to step out of her dome to hear some bad news, he adds:
"'I'll wait.' And only the wind sounded." (p. 235)
"When she emerged, the wind cut at her." (ibid.)
- as does the news that Red Wolf has killed Aryut.
For anyone who is new to this blog, we trace the Pathetic Fallacy in Poul Anderson's texts: the forces of nature parallel human responses and emotions.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Sometimes, however, that sense of tragedy would have been strengthened even more if the weather had been mild, warm, pleasant. Because of how much that would not fit in with how we are feeling.
Ad astra! Sean
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