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Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 13th, 2010, 7:02 pm
by Nerd42

"The Works of Aristotle" in Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 6:50 pm
by Paul F. Ford
I am racking my brain to remember where I read that "The Works of Aristotle" refers to this: . The attentive reader will want to know that Lewis is not denigrating the real Aristotle.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 6:52 pm
by Paul F. Ford
"Hoardings" are billboards.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 6:53 pm
by Paul F. Ford
For "goods stations," see

Re: "The Works of Aristotle" in Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 2:40 pm
by Nerd42

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 3:51 pm
by paminala
I'm not sure what it says about me, but when I read the part about the "Change Places" lady I always thought she was trying to buy a better spot rather than sell hers! I went back and reread the passage and honestly it could go either way. It makes a big difference when trying to picture her "in life" though. I had thought of her as one of those people who think their money can get them where ever they need to be (designer wardrobe, 1st class travel, etc.) She reminded me of Stairway to Heaven.
It makes me wonder how much our own unconscience biases can color how we interpret characters like these.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 3:54 pm
by Nerd42

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 4:07 pm
by paminala
The way I read it, the 1st time I read the book, this is what I understood. He offers to change places for cash, she gets out of line to "buy" the new spot but since the money is no good (which everyone else knew and is why they all laughed at her for trying it) she not only didn't get the better spot but lost the one she had. I thought the fellow was probably mocking her since he would have known the cash wouldn't be worth anything either. Please don't ask me where I got that impression, but there is so much chatter among the "crowd" about class and who is better than the others that it felt right for it to be a sin of pride that got her cast out of the line. Or maybe I had too many customers in the store where I work that day who put on airs and thought they could buy and sell everyone they met and it colored my impressions. Or maybe I'm just wrong. That has been known to happen.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 9:43 pm
by cyranorox
The buyer effectively engages to accept the value of the payment, then reneges. She's acting the fool, he the knave.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 9:48 pm
by cyranorox

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 17th, 2010, 11:01 pm
by paminala

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 18th, 2010, 2:28 am
by Nerd42

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 18th, 2010, 3:00 pm
by paminala
No, and it's sad really because instead of a cleansing rain that washes away their sin and brings new life, they've chosen to see a cloaking grey drizzle that is slowly disolving the remains of their humanity.
After all, even rain is subjective. Have you never seen a child playing in the rain? Compare that with the people who are stuck in it in the Town. (I wonder what they would do if one of them suddenly started laughing and splashing in puddles?)

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 18th, 2010, 7:23 pm
by cyranorox
IIRC the apostate bishop does see it as a gentle, heavenly city. His delusional misreading does not affect the given environment. The rain cannot become a remedy for sins; if they thought so, their state would become worse; if they wished for that, perhaps it could become better. But these are mostly failed Anglicans, whose half-knowledge is from another angle than the half-knowledge of most Americans.

Re: Chapter 1 - The Grey Town

PostPosted: May 18th, 2010, 9:18 pm
by paminala
What I meant to suggest is that they are, in a way, creating the Hell that they are in. Perhaps if a person were less willing to participate in creating Hell he would be less likely to have to live there. The idea of the bus giving the people a chance to be lifted up surely suggests that a remedy does exist (at least within Lewis' premise) if only they are willing to accept it. Otherwise the story itself has nowhere to go.