Burning Question

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I've been waiting for most everyone to finish reading KOA to ask this. This is the one thing I just could not seem to wrap my brain around, no matter how many feeble attempts I made. But I feel like this is important for the plot.

Why did they cry on their wedding night? And what, then, did Gen tell Dite in the garden?

I must have answers. I have ideas, and coricurbob gave me a great answer (where has she disappeared to?) during the chat. What do you all think?

Comments

[ferris-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about the whole crying thing, but from what i understood. Gen let Dite know exactly what was going on. That was when he told Dite to warn his brother and let him know that the King was not a fool. Or something like that.

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*nods* What ferris_girl said. I think Gen let Dite know that he loved Irene himself, and warned him what was going on in terms of Sejanus.

In terms of why they cried, well, we know that they talked and argued a bit first. Ink pots were thrown. :) Overwhelmed with emotion? I'm not sure. Perhaps the point was that their wedding night was very different from how Dite's song portrayed it.

[coricurbob.livejournal.com]

I am still here, but I am slogged down with schoolwork and busyness (as opposed to business) and though I'm trying to catch up with all of these posts there are always more and I am getting lost!
But it is to be hoped that I will be back for real soon, and actually saying something...

I think they cried because...there was so much emotion there, and history. They had really only recently learned that they loved each other, but perhaps weren't free of the memories of the fear/hate they had once had. And also, they were finally together in spite of that. It was probably very awkward for both of them, who had been keeping the love they had all bottled up inside themselves, wrapped in a whole mess of other emotions. And there was fear, and relief...

My new philosophy on life is "it's really, really complicated, man."

[coricurbob.livejournal.com]

Oh, also Dite in the garden. I can't remember if it said in the book or if I'm simply remembering something one of us said, but I think maybe Eugenides really did tell him more about their wedding night, and explained that he wasn't actually after revenge and country-stealing and fool-making, but was in love with Attolia, just like Dite was.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Yes, life is complicated, indeed. Hang in there through all the busyness. Thanks for taking time to comment!

I think you are right-on in your assessment of their feelings, and until you said that I didn't figure in the emotion, and relief, and how afraid they probably were that night. Afraid of the physical relationship with someone they didn't completely trust, (someone who could hurt them terribly) as well as just opening up their feelings to another, especially someone they had shielded themselves against in the past.

[cyberskiver.livejournal.com]

I'm not so interested in why they cried. I'm sure they were both very emotional for some reason or another.

What I want to know is: Who cried first?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, maybe a question for the author. We know Gen cried easily; he's cried in each of the books. A boy who is quick to anger and to tears; he wears his heart on his sleeve for all his bravado.

I like to think that Irene cried first. And Gen cried in reaction to her finally losing her mask and in sympathy for her pain. After all, she said to Relius that, "he cried as well." And then I had to go to the dictionary to look up what they were. It means tearful. Ha.

[cyberskiver.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea. I've been trying to think of a question.

Your theory seems very possible, and I like the thought of Gen crying in sympathy for her. And the 'as well' sounds as though he joined in, instead of starting to cry first.

I knew what 'lachrymose' meant. Double ha. Except I only knew because of the Series of Unfortunate Events. Oh well.

[caroline-k.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I agree with everyone here; they cried because of all the supressed emotion. But what I didn't get is why Gen would broadcast that very private fact to the entire country? I mean , he must have known it would get around and all, and Irene always struck me as an extremely private person, at least about her feelings and such. And another thing I didn't get was why Dite suddenly liked Gen. I too, think that Gen told Dite that he really loved Attolia, but why would that convert Dite? If Dite loved Attolia wouldn't that make him more depressed?

Honestly *shakes head in confusion* I have no idea:)

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I was surprised that Gen told about such a private moment, too. Maybe he wanted the guards to see Attolia as a more sympathetic, womanly ruler. I noticed that he didn't tell the guards that HE cried.

And I think he told Dite that he (Gen) loved Attolia and had loved her for years, and that he wasn't out for revenge. And that she loved him, and that only by being united could the country stay strong. If Dite really loved her he would want her to be happy.