Finding the writing case

Postby **Soapy** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:12 pm

How the hell did Will suddenly know where the leather writing case was? He just woke up and knew.

This is the only really strange, unexplained bit in the book that seems more like PP had no clue how he knew but just wanted to move the story along.

Theories, anyone?

Ian · Postby **Ian** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:15 pm

Well, not just waking up like that... but sometimes I suddenly remember things at the strangest times, and very suddenly. It's perfectly natural, if you ask me...

Postby **Soapy** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:17 pm

Ian wrote:Well, not just waking up like that... but sometimes I suddenly remember things at the strangest times, and very suddenly. It's perfectly natural, if you ask me...

You remember things when you know what they were beforehand. It's remembering things, not finding out new things out of the blue.

Ian · Postby **Ian** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:20 pm

My mother calls them "witch feelings" - some things you just know. Maybe it was his subconscious speaking to him.

Will · Postby **Will** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:02 am

His mind had worked it out whilst he was sleeping. If you go to bed pondering a question, your brain carries on whilst you're asleep and then in the morning hands you a note with the answer and a message saying "score!"

Postby **jessia** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:18 am

Soapy wrote:You remember things when you know what they were beforehand. It's remembering things, not finding out new things out of the blue.

it's likely that's what it was.

he might not have seen his mother hide it but perhaps he figured out the room and figured out the best hiding spot for it: combination figuring it out and remembering important clues.

tipani · Postby **tipani** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:33 pm

Will wrote:His mind had worked it out whilst he was sleeping. If you go to bed pondering a question, your brain carries on whilst you're asleep and then in the morning hands you a note with the answer and a message saying "score!"

Exactly.

maija · Postby **maija** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:26 pm

A very stupid question: What leather writing case? :oops:

Mockingbird · Postby **Mockingbird** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:18 pm

maya91 wrote:A very stupid question: What leather writing case?

The writing case in which Will's mother kept letters from John Parry; letters which described how he got into another world etc...

Off-topic, but, does anyone else think that Elaine Parry handled the situation not exactly well? She seemed so child-like (and I mean before she started to become mentally unstable, or was she always a bit unstable...)

Postby **Soapy** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:21 pm

Mockingbird wrote:Off-topic, but, does anyone else think that Elaine Parry handled the situation not exactly well? She seemed so child-like (and I mean before she started to become mentally unstable, or was she always a bit unstable...)

Which situation? I don't understand what you mean.

maija · Postby **maija** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:23 pm

Oh that... Thanks

Postby **bethanwy** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:42 pm

tipani wrote:
Will wrote:His mind had worked it out whilst he was sleeping. If you go to bed pondering a question, your brain carries on whilst you're asleep and then in the morning hands you a note with the answer and a message saying "score!"

Exactly.

That's what I'd always thought.

Diolmhain · Postby **Diolmhain** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:34 pm

This may set me up for another stabbing with a rusty tea spoon but.. when did it say that he didn't know where the case was?

Postby **Soapy** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:57 pm

surge and kaenosan wrote:This may set me up for another stabbing with a rusty tea spoon but.. when did it say that he didn't know where the case was?

He spent about 4 hours looking for it, and his mother hid it from him so I assumed he didn't know where it was.

Diolmhain · Postby **Diolmhain** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:20 pm

*cringes as the rusty tea spoon enters his stomach yet again* :oops:

Mockingbird · Postby **Mockingbird** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:22 am

Soapy wrote:
Mockingbird wrote:Off-topic, but, does anyone else think that Elaine Parry handled the situation not exactly well? She seemed so child-like (and I mean before she started to become mentally unstable, or was she always a bit unstable...)

Which situation? I don't understand what you mean.

The entire situation. Her not knowing where John Parry had gone, what he did, any idea how to get him back etc...I realize that the man disappeared into another world, and also that she's not in her right mind, but I feel that someone like Lyra would have showed more gumption. 12-year-old Will showed more go. By the end of the 10(?) years that John Parry had been gone, she was in no condition to do anything about finding him or protecting herself and her son better, but in the beginning...I don't know, I just find her a weak character in a story full of very strong characters.

Jamie · Postby **Jamie** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:32 am

Mockingbird wrote:I don't know, I just find her a weak character in a story full of very strong characters.

I'm not sure how to feel about that really. Obviously you need to have that contrast to emphasis the will [heh] of the dominant characters. She seemed to me mainly to be a means to show Will's fierce and protective side and also as an obstacle for him to overcome in order to begin his progress to manhood. By detaching himself from her emotionally, and forgetting her in order to use the knife he takes one of many steps towards adulthood.

furbaby · Postby **furbaby** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:40 am

Put like that, she's just a plot device. Yet I wonder what would become of me if I were in her situation.

Postby **Soapy** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:47 am

Mockingbird wrote:
Soapy wrote:
Mockingbird wrote:Off-topic, but, does anyone else think that Elaine Parry handled the situation not exactly well? She seemed so child-like (and I mean before she started to become mentally unstable, or was she always a bit unstable...)

Which situation? I don't understand what you mean.

The entire situation. Her not knowing where John Parry had gone, what he did, any idea how to get him back etc...I realize that the man disappeared into another world, and also that she's not in her right mind, but I feel that someone like Lyra would have showed more gumption. 12-year-old Will showed more go. By the end of the 10(?) years that John Parry had been gone, she was in no condition to do anything about finding him or protecting herself and her son better, but in the beginning...I don't know, I just find her a weak character in a story full of very strong characters.

I think that if the Marines didn't know where the hell he was she couldn't have known either. She looked after Will as best she could. Going off on some adventure to find her husband when she knew nothing about the North and had a baby to look after would've been rather stupid.

And then she got ill, which is hardly her fault.

Will only finds his father because A) he was at the right time and place to see the cat go through the window and B) his father was looking for the person who had the knife, which happened to be him. If Will had turned up 30 seconds after he did at the hornbeam trees, he'd never have found his father or Lyra and would probably be in police custody after a few days.

Mockingbird · Postby **Mockingbird** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:08 pm

She seemed to me mainly to be a means to show Will's fierce and protective side and also as an obstacle for him to overcome in order to begin his progress to manhood.

Yes, thats a good explanation. She's just there to act as a foil.

Finding the writing case

Finding the writing case

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