Hidden_7 on 13/1/2008 at 20:00
Oh, ok I get it now. Like he's annoyed about that. I never got why he seemed to be upset, but that makes actually a lot of sense, in keeping with things that came up earlier in the book. I can't believe I missed that.
nuckinfutzcat on 14/1/2008 at 23:59
It was so obvious. They practically drowned you in it to get the point across.
Worrying about Kirill.
Marrying Guta when she got pregnant.
Saving Burbridge when he got "burned" in the zone.
Making sure his wife got the money when he realized he was caught.
Those are just the ones I remember. Only one thing was out of character. Sacrificing Arthur to reach the Golden Ball. They made it very plain that he hated himself for that.
Hidden_7 on 15/1/2008 at 00:58
Naw, like I missed the bit where he was upset about being a good guy. I can only remember the bit where he saved Arthur from the burner anomoly and tried to rationalize it as he was his key, but realized that no, he just did it to be a good person. Speficially I missed the connection at the end to that sentiment, though I did notice that yeah, he was a decent fellow.
nuckinfutzcat on 16/1/2008 at 15:59
Quote Posted by Hidden_7
I can only remember the bit where he saved Arthur from the burner anomoly ...
Ah yes ! That's one of the ones I forgot. That and warning some guy about the dangers of Witches' Jelly. Did he refuse to bring it back ? I can't remember. (Zips off to check...) OK no warning as such but he did refuse to bring some back.
When you think about it Red was something of a typical Soviet era hero type. Common working man doing what's right kind of guy. Almost too much so.
Hidden_7 on 16/1/2008 at 23:17
He ended up actually bringing it back, but kind of as a last resort because he knew he was going to jail and he wanted his wife and kid to be cared for. When he gets out there's an offhand mention about how an entire lab was destroyed by it.
nuckinfutzcat on 17/1/2008 at 15:16
Now that I think of it I do remember a passage where someone gives him a "earthenware jar". I must be thinking of the part when he was first asked to get it. He said something like " grab a bucket and go get it yourself". Its tough to find a specific passage when you really need to.
I did find myself rereading the last chapter yesterday. The first time I must have missed the part where he notices Arthur running towards the Ball shouting "Happiness for everyone...". It had a kind of a "killing himself" vibe to it. Like he was in some way reborn with a "new resolve".
(I might have to cite myself for quote abuse on this post.)
