Nicholas Seafort
There can be few fictional characters more tortured than this chap, even in the most deranged and masochistic doodlings of Stephen King!
But after the umpteenth re-reading, I have finally got a handle on his world, but still none to sure I understand it!
As a start we have a service (the UNN).
To some extent it is understandable that they would force strong discipline aboard their ships. The ships have a small crew and they are consigned to spend years in a small confined space with little or nothing to do and no contact with others. But to take discipline back to levels that even the Royal Navy gave up 200 years ago?
The UNN is controlled by a set of strict but nominally christian religious ethics, therefore the world must also be controlled by similar extremism.
Forget the rather woolly world of the Catholic church (still the largest religion in the world), we are beyond them, or even the rather dour Presbyterians, certainly not the URC which the books quote. We are galloping down the open maw of fervent Welsh Methodism, where any outward sign of emotion will immediately consign you to eternal damnation! Appologies to any member of any religious order, no offence is intended in any way, but Welsh Chapel doctrine decrees you are condemned to eternal servitude and pergitude at birth!
From the books, Seafort is from Cardiff (not a traditional hot bed Methodist fervor, but close enough- it is on the map of Wales) and his father is most evidently a staunch Methodist. This at least I can understand and he does behave more or less as I would expect based on this.
Yet few, if any, of those he meets, Uppies or trannies, even remotely approach the same level of fervor. So how do they remain in control and why?
There can be few fictional characters more tortured than this chap, even in the most deranged and masochistic doodlings of Stephen King!
But after the umpteenth re-reading, I have finally got a handle on his world, but still none to sure I understand it!
As a start we have a service (the UNN).
To some extent it is understandable that they would force strong discipline aboard their ships. The ships have a small crew and they are consigned to spend years in a small confined space with little or nothing to do and no contact with others. But to take discipline back to levels that even the Royal Navy gave up 200 years ago?
The UNN is controlled by a set of strict but nominally christian religious ethics, therefore the world must also be controlled by similar extremism.
Forget the rather woolly world of the Catholic church (still the largest religion in the world), we are beyond them, or even the rather dour Presbyterians, certainly not the URC which the books quote. We are galloping down the open maw of fervent Welsh Methodism, where any outward sign of emotion will immediately consign you to eternal damnation! Appologies to any member of any religious order, no offence is intended in any way, but Welsh Chapel doctrine decrees you are condemned to eternal servitude and pergitude at birth!
From the books, Seafort is from Cardiff (not a traditional hot bed Methodist fervor, but close enough- it is on the map of Wales) and his father is most evidently a staunch Methodist. This at least I can understand and he does behave more or less as I would expect based on this.
Yet few, if any, of those he meets, Uppies or trannies, even remotely approach the same level of fervor. So how do they remain in control and why?
