From: "tom" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Blue Mouse, Night Chough, uncollected stories
Date: Thu, 07 Mar 2002 18:50:37 GMT


Roy C. Lackey writes:
> From: Adam Stephanides 
> Date: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 10:58 PM
> > Since the story was
> >published during the Vietnam War, and the war in the story, as in "Hour of
> >Trust," is modelled after the Vietnam war, I suspect that the Techs are
> >intended to represent conscientous objectors or draft evaders.  (I'm not
> >objecting to Wolfe's disapproval of COs or draft evaders, if that's what it
> >is, but to the lack of subtlety with which it's expressed.)
> 
> What, then, was Wolfe saying with that ending?

That CO's and draft evaders are no different than the soldiers who
actually fight; that deep down inside we're all killers; and that
CO's and draft evaders pile hypocrisy and cowardice on top of
an unjustified feeling of superiority.

It may be that Wolfe is aiming straight at the college crowd
and their deferments.  If I remember correctly the Techs were
chosen based on a governmental criterion (a test), not on
introspective or religious grounds.

It's hard to see Wolfe getting on the Amish for not bearing
arms.  It's easy to see a veteran of Korea mad at college
students during Vietnam.

> -Roy

Tom

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