quote:

Originally posted by Demantoid:
I thought it was pretty brilliant actually. Ken's entire life has been charactised by his cowardice, and this is typical of him.

He started out as a young, angry intellectual - and ended up living back at home with his Uncle Albert because he didn't have the nerve to see if he could make it out in the real world.

He's settled for a frustratingly pedestrian life ever since, while always behaving as if he deserved better. But every time he's had a chance to get out, he's always ducked out because the fear of failure (or being exposed as a talentless dullard) stops him.

As Deirdre cleverly pointed out, he burnt his own novel rather than risk ridicule by the publishers.

And it's the same with Martha. Rather than risk her realising what a boring old fart she'd landed herself with, he legged it like the coward he is.

Deirdre pointed all this out to him and now she's the one with the upper hand - and she knows it.

quote:

Originally posted by Demantoid:
I thought it was pretty brilliant actually. Ken's entire life has been charactised by his cowardice, and this is typical of him.

He started out as a young, angry intellectual - and ended up living back at home with his Uncle Albert because he didn't have the nerve to see if he could make it out in the real world.

He's settled for a frustratingly pedestrian life ever since, while always behaving as if he deserved better. But every time he's had a chance to get out, he's always ducked out because the fear of failure (or being exposed as a talentless dullard) stops him.

As Deirdre cleverly pointed out, he burnt his own novel rather than risk ridicule by the publishers.

And it's the same with Martha. Rather than risk her realising what a boring old fart she'd landed herself with, he legged it like the coward he is.

Deirdre pointed all this out to him and now she's the one with the upper hand - and she knows it.

quote:

The phrase 'beneath her contempt' came to my mind.