Tuesday, March 06, 2007

TMWWT- Discussion Question

While the six detectives are chasing Sunday through the streets of London, he keeps throwing notes back to his pursuers, notes such as "Fly at once; the truth about you trouser stretchers is known" or "What about Martin Tupper now?".

So, why did he throw these notes? Did any of them have the slightest bit of rhyme or reason in them? If so what did they mean?

Any thoughts, additions, theories, answers ... next discussion questions? If so please do comment with them.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't finished the book but maybe they were just to confuse the six detectives. I don't know. I'll try and think up a next discussion question...

Unknown said...

I wish someone could tell me the answer to this question. I really have no idea. I liked the book alot, but things like that really confused me. Is there a Man Who Was Thursday study guide out there (a good one of course)?

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

Every time I read the novel, I try to make some sense of the notes, too. Yet I remain as lost as you are.

As Fpcannon has pointed out, Sunday apparently really wants to keep confusing the detectives; but in that case, why aren't these mysteries made suddenly clear the way everything else was, when Sunday's true identity was revealed?

On the other hand, The Man Who Was Thursday isn't meant to be a strict allegory; so I try not to worry too much about finding an interpretation of these notes. In fact, it would make just as much sense if they were as nonsensical as anything out of Lewis Carroll!

Anonymous said...

I agree with enbrethiliel.
Anyway, when I commented I hadn't finished the book. Also, I didn't get the ending. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!

Ria said...

I was wondering if maybe "Where are your galoshes, the thing is really too bad especially after what uncle said" in Syme's note could possibly have something to do with his crazy childhood?????? This theory doesn't have much ground, but since we're discussing this particular part I thought I might as well mention it.
Anyways, I too am baffled by the notes and the ending, anyone else have some ideas, theories, study guides where we can find more... anything?????????

Anonymous said...

Couldn't it be that Sunday was just trying to show that he knows alot about the detectives?

I mean, "Where are your galoshes, the thing is really too bad especially after what uncle said" probably, like ria said, has to do with his crazy childhood.
"What about Martin Tupper now?" Martin Tupper could have said something...

Dr. Bull, however, said:
"What does the old maniac mean?"
He could possibly be lying.

Syme did not answer after he read his (I think).

Inspector Ratcliffe also did not answer.

Also, Gogol's message ("The word, I fancy, should be 'pink'") could be something he was thinking about, or a puzzle he couldn't solve or something of the sort.
Gogol says nothing, but "the movements of his hands and feet were like those of a man urging a horse to renewed efforts."

This theory is probablu wrong but I wanted to tell it anyway.