From: "Dennis G. Berdanis" <endymion9@mindspring.com>
Subject: (urth) Ziggurat as Delusion or SF
Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 17:44:24 

I've read a lot of the interesting posts concerning the *incest* slant, and
they definitely make me think.  It's interesting to look back on things like
the twins hiding from that perspective and see things differently than when
you read the story the first time.

From the incest standpoint the scenes I see differently.

1.  One twin hiding in the chimney and one under the bed.  The aliens/girls
attacking Emery with no apparent reason and biting him.  Even shooting him
in the first place.

2.  Brook died in the initial battle.  Jan confronted Emery about the abuse,
she ended up grabbing the rifle and didn't know how to work it, Brook
grabbed it and knocked Jan out but was shot and died.  All of the later
discussions with Brook, had Brook praising Emery (if my memory is correct)
"You handled that so well" type convos.  That would be part of Emery's
delusion.

3.  The twin having her own delusion to explain away the abuse.  The aliens
made me take off all my clothes, etc.

What I am more interested in, however, are people's opinions if this is
truly a sf story.

1.  What caused our future society to abandon men and only allow female
births?  Would it be the traditional "Men destroyed the world and can't be
allowed to do it again.  Women would never do that?"  That would explain the
women's fear of men.  I believe there was a new Outer Limits episode a few
years back that dealt with women experimenting with allowing men back into
society in the future and deciding against it.  The handful of men corrupted
the women, so no more were cloned.

2.  Why would this future society of women be so prone to violence?  I can
understand them robbing the cabin and vehicles to repair their ship.  Why
would they be so determined to shoot anything they didn't understand?  Why
would they force the twin to go to their ship and strip down then return
her?  For her eggs as other's have speculated?

These questions apply no matter which viewpoint of the story is taken.


1.  Why did Emery keep saying the coyote was killed with a cyanide gun.
What is a cyanide gun exactly?  How would he know it was killed with this
type of gun unless he did it?]

2.  Is it proper to call a place to store a dead body a bier?  I kept
expecting Emery to give his son and the coyote a viking funeral and torch
them, but he only stored them yet called it a bier.

3.  What were Emery's plans for the coyote.  I never understood, other than
Wolfe symbolism, what plans Emery could have for the frozen coyote body?


Thanks for any comments.  Enjoyable read.  Very thought provoking.


Dennis/Endy



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