Posted by Sterling on 2/12/2011, 12:35:54, in reply to "Re: Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass"
65.15.157.74
This has been my take on Pimber's suicide:
. I'm unclear why Henry killed himself, but he is acutely disappointed when he realizes that Omensetter is just a man, not a "miracle." Especially after he had "cured" Henry's lockjaw with his beetroot poultice. The magic was drained from the world, leaving him with ashes and emptiness. Perhaps in his act of ultimate despair, Henry wanted to perform something truly extraordinary himself in an attempt to restore the miraculous. Hence, the climb to an exceptional height.
This is what I found from Gass's description of Henry's thoughts immediately before his suicide.
I don't know whether Omensetter was having an affair with Mrs. Pimber. The biggest clue that I found that suggested the possibility is Mrs. Pimber assuming it is Omensetter when Furber breaks into her house.
--Previous Message--
: Why do you think Henry Pimber committed suicide? Was his
: wife having an affair with Omensetter? Or what? Within
: Gass's dense prose I couldn't find any clues as to his
: suicide, did any of you find something?
:
: --Previous Message--
: --Previous Message--
: ...the extent to which
: religion may cause acute sexual repression,
: frustration and then perversion.
:
: I'm well into the perversion stage myself.
:
: We humans seem to be most adept at finding ways to
: make ourselves miserable, and religion's war on
: sexuality is one of the prime examples.
:
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