As Tally nears the end of her journey to The Smoke, she encounters a beautiful flower, which she later learns is called phragmipedium panthera. It's pretty obvious that this flower is one of Westerfeld's not-so-subtle analogies to pretties. We learn that while these flowers are beautiful, they are choking off the life all around them, creating a monoculture that will ultimately result in their demise. It might be interesting to note that both terms used to name the flower in this story come from actual genera - phragmipedium is indeed a genus of the orchid family, and panthera is a genus of the family Felidae, which includes the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard species. We can push the analogy further when we consider that one of the adjectives used to describe Dr. Cable was that of a predator. Any thoughts on the symbolism behind the flower or the methods used to contain it?
Once at The Smoke we are introduced to a community that contrasts sharply with that of pretty society. Do you think that one society has it right and the other has it wrong? Is it as simple as black and white? What is your impression of The Smoke?
Tally's motivation to come to The Smoke was the opposite of everyone else who has ever made that journey - she came in order to become pretty. Is her change of heart believable as she learns more about this new society and the truths behind her own?
As always, these are questions to initiate discussion. Comment where you want the discussion to go. For next week, read Part 3: Into The Fire.
Once at The Smoke we are introduced to a community that contrasts sharply with that of pretty society. Do you think that one society has it right and the other has it wrong? Is it as simple as black and white? What is your impression of The Smoke?
Tally's motivation to come to The Smoke was the opposite of everyone else who has ever made that journey - she came in order to become pretty. Is her change of heart believable as she learns more about this new society and the truths behind her own?
As always, these are questions to initiate discussion. Comment where you want the discussion to go. For next week, read Part 3: Into The Fire.
8 comments:
I've finished reading the second section, and while I definitely prefer the Smokies to the Pretties, I have my issues with both, and I'm not sure that I'd want to have to choose only one of the two. The Smokies live so much on the fringes, and after the indoctrination of the city and the convenience, it's a hard adaptation to make. Also due to the indoctrination, it's hard for the people who make it to the Smoke to realize that sometimes a little interference in nature is ok, if done with caution and foresight. If the two societies could come to a balance and learn to use the best of what each has to offer in terms of both knowledge and technology, life would definitely be better all around, and within each individual society even now, they seem to be in need of that balance too, it's either means or extremes, really.
As for the orchid analogy, I can see it applying to how the Special Circumstances people who seem to be in charge of the Pretties have essentially taken over everything, smothered the rest of the population to the point that there's almost no free will and no real choice within the city except to follow along. Running away, leaving, potentially learning the truth, while an option, is a dangerous one for many reasons, and Tally seems to have learned the worst of it. Just like the Rangers have to burn out sections of the flower to keep it in check, it seems the Special Circumstances people are pretty much willing to burn out the Smokies to keep the real truth from being known.
I think Tally's believability comes more from her doubts, her fears, and what her reactions are to what she has learned than anything else. It's a lot to digest, it makes you question things you may never have thought about before, and it leaves you afraid, because a truth is hard to unknow. The truth about David's parents and what they learned about the operation, the truth about David's feelings for Tally, and the truth of what it really means to live in the natural world, still using it, having to accept that death is a part of it, as well as the frightening truth of what the Specials are willing to do to curb this group of rogues, will change everything forever, not just for Tally, but for everyone in both societies.
Although I didn't have any trouble believing Tally's decision to stay in the Smoke, I think it would be extremely difficult to do. She's been told her entire life that she is not good looking. One person falling in love with her won't change that. She'll always think that she's ugly, even though she may think that living in the Smoke is a better choice.
What I did find hard to believe was that they could keep the Smoke hidden. Aren't they growing vegetables? Aren't there paths? Aren't they out during the day working? Even though the place is several days distant, I just don't think it would be that hard.
What about the city near the Smoke? They must not have much of a problem with the Smoke if the Rangers all know about them. If that city is more accepting it seems like joining that city might be another alternative to going back.
I wondered about who had the power. Is this a society run by a committee? Do all the cities agree on what pretties should look like? It would seem like a difficult thing to do to not have one person leading everyone else down this path.
I wouldn't want to have to choose between just those two options of society either, Angela. They are both too extreme for my tastes, so I agree that a balance between the two should be in order.
You really would think that The Smoke's location isn't as secret as they seem to believe it is, wouldn't you? Debra, you bring up good points that question The Smoke's ability to avoid detection. With all the seemingly advanced technology that Pretty society has, finding one remote rebel location shouldn't be all the difficult. Since almost nearly all of society exists in developed cities, something like smoke from a campfire out in the wilderness should certainly call attention (especially if it is near the vicinity of patrols out destroying rampaging weeds).
However, it also would seem that there are pretty cities and then there are pretty cities. The rangers that Tally encountered seemed a little more relaxed than the militant Special Circumstances from Tally's city. I wouldn't be surprised if this other city is aware of The Smoke's location but humors it with the drop-off point. I mean, if they really wanted to find The Smoke, it would not be hard to do. The drop-off point seemed to be a very short distance from The Smoke (especially by air).
So, is this a plot-hole? If there is communication between different pretty cities (and we know there is as Tally and Shay discussed how the standard for prettiness is somewhat moderated between the different communities), then how can a rebel settlement be so easily overlooked? Does Tally's cities Special Circumstances not have the resources to scout out at such a distance? Do other cities have problems with rebels? Is it just Tally's pretty city?
I hadn't considered the analogy of the flowers and the pretties.
I am starting to wonder if maybe Tally's city is much more extreme than the other cities. Also, I can't remember, did David's parents say whether their research was only on the people of their city or did it include other cities as well? That would be interesting to know. Since the cities don't communicate with each other much (other than sharing information about their pretties) Maybe Tally's city did get out of hand and is now much more extreme than other cities. That would be interesting to know.
I will have the final discussion post up in the next day or so. I'm pretty sure everyone has a busy weekend planned, so have a good one!
This is my third time trying to leave a comment.
Testing...testing...
Okay, I got it to work. But now I'm super deflated and will try some other time to rewrite my comments. Hopefully soon.
I'm so sorry that it won't post your comments. This happens to me frequently enough that now I copy my comments before I submit them. I guess blogger is just buggy. Hope to hear what you have to say soon! I've been looking forward to your comments.
I will *hopefully* get the final discussion up tomorrow.
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