Challenge 443

Essentials

page index
Mary B. McArdle, Give Them Wine Richard Ong, Bonnie Isle	Christopher C. Smith, Icarus Tom Underhill, Splintered

In Christopher C. Smith’s “Icarus”:
1. “Downloading” consciousness into animals appears to be routine. What makes Ben’s case a special one?
2. What are the protesters’ objections? Why might animal-rights activists protest against “downloading” in general?
3. What features of various religions are emphasized: in particular, those of ancient Greek mythology, Buddhism, and orthodox Christianity?
4. Transplanting a personality from one body to another might be conceivable in terms of science fiction. Why might inter-species transmigration seem highly improbable, even impossible?
5. Does Ben interpret Dr. Roberts’ final injunction, to live, as the doctor means it? What, then, is the purpose of life?
6. Who is the real “Icarus” in the story?
In Tom Underhill’s “Splintered”:
1. Do Jason’s adventures show an interior thematic progression or do they appear to be random events connected only by the stranger’s narration?
2. Does “Splintered” overstep Bewildering Stories’ restriction on stories that end “but it was all a dream” or the equivalent?
In Mary B. McArdle’s Give Them Wine:
1. Donas exclaims delightedly that she’s seen cotton blooming and asks, “Will the cloth come soon?” Lionel reminds her that clothes don’t grow in cotton fields. Meanwhile, Sewella has made “another” dress for Donas in this chapter. Hasn’t Donas already learned that the South People weave cloth and make clothing? Is she merely forgetful or is she a little slow on the uptake?
2. In chapter 16, Tolk inadvertently reveals to Donas that the South People have been keeping secrets from her. What are those secrets?
3. In chapter 17, Barrett accuses Donas of dishonesty for not immediately announcing what her ancestry is. Is his reproach fair? What might it imply about the South People’s society and relations with other communities?
4. Donas asks Nakoma about the Storytellers’ Hall, but Nakoma gives an ambiguous non-answer that arouses Donas’ suspicions. What does Nakoma’s response imply about the role of women in the society of the South People?
5. Does Donas not yet feel she’s in a position to challenge Barrett or Lionel with questions? In view of her curiosity and the villagers’ secretiveness, doesn’t she already have reason enough to infiltrate the Storytellers’ Hall? What further provocation does she need?
In Richard Ong’s “Bonnie Isle”:
1. The story opens with the narrator surrounded by wolves in a forest. Why might the reader immediately doubt that the wolves are real? Is the opening an effective “hook” or is it painfully melodramatic?
2. “Bonnie Isle” is a classic frame story, namely a story within a story. In the opening frame, is the supernatural representation of the innkeeper necessary?
3. Are the wolves necessary? Do we have anything more than the innkeeper’s word for their significance?
4. Does the innkeeper’s historical account make the embedded story all the more effective or merely a re-enactment? What kind of experience seems to affect Donnelly the most on the island?
5. Daniel Donnelly prevents Kanahoki from rescuing Eleanor. Is his action sufficiently justified?
6. The old manor on the island represents a lost paradise or lost golden age. What ideals does it embody?
7. The story concludes with Donnelly thinking that his life “would never be the same again.” How will it change? Can it be safely assumed that all readers will know what Donnelly is thinking? Or would Donnelly’s making a resolution merely reiterate a foregone conclusion?

Responses welcome!