Babel Q5: Sacrifices, fidelity, betrayal

NeilNjae

On one level, this is a book about Robin deciding who he really is, then acting on it. Is it more importatn to be true to oneself than to be comfortable? How should you balance your own goals against those of others? When is it right to cause others pain or loss, or to kill, or to kill yourself? How did Letty's betrayal of Robin compare to Robin's betrayal of Lovell?

RichardAbbott

I kind of felt that in the end there wasn't a lot to choose between them. Lovell (and the ruling group that he represented) was prepared to subordinate anybody else's interest, health, life etc to their own... but so was Robin. The whole business of smashing up social infrastructure to try to win was destroying the lives of the underclasses far more effectively than the rulers. Lots of people told Robin this, and lots of people left because they couldn't go along for that rude with him - and I had more respect for them for doing so than I did for Robin with his "the lady's not for turning" attitude.

Now, that's not to say that I thought the story idea was flawed - the concept of having a kind of magical parallel to the Luddites was excellent - but that I found the character of Robin improbable. That said, I wonder what some of the leaders of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil would think of him? In passing, I noticed that Extinction Rebellion have just announced they intend ceasing destructive protests, as they have decided that those kinds of action are more likely to alienate potential supporters. Are we going to see a proliferation of more radical splinter groups arguing that they've sold out?

I'm sure I have more thoughts on this aspect but for the moment they won't come to mind

Apocryphal

Honestly, both felt like plot points to me, rather than real things (due to my looking behind the curtain, as mentioned elsewhere).