So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
Let's step back a moment.
Blue-eyed , red-haired Tarl.
Red hair can be auburn hair: and who is the love object of Andreas?
"the auburn-haired girl in the camisk, gentle Linna of Tharna."
Who is the haughty Tatrix, who learns what she truly desires as a slave?
Lara.
Which is only a letter away from 'Tarl'.
"And so it was that I took the cords from her hand, and in the same night Lara who had once been the proud Tatrix of Tharna became according to the ancient rites of her city my slave girl- and a free woman."
Remember those defense mechanisms?
- Reaction formation takes place when a person takes the opposite approach consciously compared to what that person wants unconsciously. For example, someone may engage in violence against another race because, that person claims, the members of the race are inferior, when unconsciously it is that very person who feels inferior.
- Psychological projection occurs when a person "projects" his or her own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, feelings - basically parts of oneself - onto someone or something else. Since the person is experiencing particular desires, feelings, thoughts, or anxieties, s/he is more prone to attribute those same characteristics to the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others.
Who is being projected upon here, do you think?
"Some things," I said, "are more compelling than even the beauty of a woman."
"Women are forbidden to fall in love with men, and can be demoted to slaves for doing so"
"A man who refused to practice his livelihood or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an outlaw and subject to impalement."
"I could not forget the figure on the throne, he of the black helmet, and I thought perhaps that he had noticed me and had reacted. It had been, perhaps, my imagination. I sat on the tent carpet, poking at the small fire in the cooking hole. I could hear from a tent nearby the sound of a flute, some soft drums, and the rhythmic jangle of some tiny cymbals."
"Then, each of the men of Pa-Kur, as is the custom before a frame is surrendered to the waters of the Vosk, spit on my body. Lastly, Pa-Kur spit in his hand and then placed his hand on my chest. "Were it not for the daughter of Marlenus," said Pa-Kur, his metallic face as placid as the quicksilver behind a mirror, "I would have slain you honorably. That I swear by the black helmet of my caste."
"I believe you," I said, my voice choked, no longer caring if I lived or died."
Honestly, the phallic symbolism here is enough to choke a horse.
Impalement - Norman's favourite fate worse than death. So richly suggestive that I don't have to draw you a picture, do I?
The loss of all status and degradation to slavery for the crime of falling in love with a man. The punishment for a man who does not practice his livelihood or strives to alter his status is impalement. The desired/feared punishment for Norman, should he ever admit his desires and alter his status, refuse to practice, as a true Manly Man who dominates and sexually possesses submissive women: a phallic object inserted through the anus.
Yes.
Thinking of the man on the throne, imagining he had noticed you, (and if this had been in the voice of a female slave, would we be surprised? there is nothing gender specific here to indicate it is a man thinking about another man, while it does sound very similar to the usual romance novel heroine obsessing over the hero whom she scorns but secretly desires) whilst poking the fire in the cooking hole. Presumably using a stick to poke the fire. Insertion of phallic object through hole whilst thinking of dominant male figure.
Yes, again.
Now, we've already discussed Nar and bound Tarl, and bodily secretions, so there's no need to cover that ground again. But in that vein:
"Then, each of the men of Pa-Kur, as is the custom before a frame is surrendered to the waters of the Vosk, spit on my body. Lastly, Pa-Kur spit in his hand and then placed his hand on my chest. "Were it not for the daughter of Marlenus," said Pa-Kur, his metallic face as placid as the quicksilver behind a mirror, "I would have slain you honorably. That I swear by the black helmet of my caste."
"I believe you," I said, my voice choked, no longer caring if I lived or died."
Bound and helpless, surrounded by men who spit upon him. Saliva as a substitution for what other bodily secretion, one wonders?
"Lastly, Pa-Kur spit in his hand and then placed his hand on my chest."
Oddly intimate for a ritual of humiliation, n'est-ce pas?
Let us consider the protagonist of most of these novels: Tarl Cabot.
Taken from Earth, he discovers that his father is really a man of Gor (or an Earthman who has been adopted into Gorean society). Moreover, this father is of high status and much repute in his adoptive society.
Tarl has been the recipient of childhood bullying due to his red hair and unusual name (so we are led to believe); more likely, it is his status as an abandoned, fatherless child - with the implicit stigma of illegitimacy - which is the real cause.
Tarl is now offered the opportunity to fit in, to belong, to be accepted as one of these Alpha Males; in short, to fulfil his true destiny.
So far, so fairytale. The abandoned child whose parent(s) turn out to be the King (and Queen, though we learn nothing of Tarl's mother, even whether she is still alive, much less did Tarl's father bother to undergo a marriage ceremony with her) - this is pure wish-fulfilment.
Even more so is Tarl's ability to survive the testing preparatory to being accepted for training by Older Tarl (the man for whom he was named, we may surmise, and a father-figure for Young Tarl), his rapid acquirment of the skills necessary for survival on Gor; his being even better than the Gorean average - excellence in ambidextrous swordsmanship in only six months, as Bellatrys has pointed out, does strain credulity.
In short, Tarl is a Gary-Stu. The author's alter ego, who does and is what the author wishes to do and be.
Very well, now let us examine the workings out of Thanatos and Eros in this puppet's dream-world. But first, more definitions!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanatos
"In Greek mythology, Thanatos (θάνατος, "death") was the personification of death (Roman equivalent: Mors), and a minor figure in Greek mythology. Thanatos was a son of Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness) and twin of Hypnos (Sleep). In early mythological accounts, Thanatos was perceived as a powerful figure armed with a sword, with a shaggy beard and a fierce face.
According to Sigmund Freud, humans have a life instinct (eros) and a death drive, which has also sometimes been called thanatos. This postulated death drive allegedly compels humans to engage in risky and destructive behaviors that could lead to their own death. Behaviors such as thrill seeking, aggression, and risk taking are sometimes viewed as possible evidence for the presence of a death drive."
And this "powerful figure armed with a sword, with a shaggy beard and a fierce face" - where have we seen him before?
Why, in the surrogate-father figure of Older Tarl:
"This was my introduction to my instructor in arms, whose name was also Tarl. I shall call him the Older Tarl. He was a blond Viking giant of a man, a bearded fellow with a cheerful, craggy face and fierce blue eyes, who strode about as though he owned the earth on which he stood. His whole body, his carriage, the holding of his head bespoke the warrior, a man who knew his weapons and, on the simple world of Gor, knew that he could kill almost any man who might stand against him. "
and in Kazrak - dear Kazrak! We have already spoken so fondly of him, need I remind you? Save that he too is a bearded, mighty warrior with a sword?
and in Marlenus:
"Before I realized what was happening, my arm had been jerked downward and twisted, and I had been thrown on my back at the feet of the man, who leaped up and set his boot on my throat. In his hand was a warrior's sword, and the point was at my breast. He laughed a mighty, roaring laugh and threw his head back, causing the hood to fall to his shoulders. I saw a massive, lionlike head, with wild long hair and a beard as unkempt and magnificent as the crags of the Voltai itself. The man, who seemed to leap into gigantic stature as he lifted himself into full height..."
"Before me, on a rough throne of piled rocks, sat Marlenus, his long hair over his shouders, his great beard reaching almost to his sword belt. He was a gigantic man, larger even than the Older Tarl, and in his eyes, wild and green, I saw the masterful flame which had, in its way, also burned in the eyes of Talena, his daughter."
and in Andreas, the "larl-maned poet"
" Now only Andreas of Tor remained at my side.
He mopped back that mane of black hair like a larl's and grinned at me. "Well," said he, "I have tried the Mines of Tharna, and now I think I shall try the Great Farms."
and even in Nar, with his mandibles:
"...the monstrous insect bent near me, and I caught sight of the mandibles, like curved knives. I tensed myself for the sudden lateral chopping of those pincerlike jaws."
Now, it gets even more convoluted, because Marlenus is also an embodiment of Eros - remember, Eros is associated with civilisation, unity, combination, and Marlenus is Ubar of the greatest city on Gor, planning to unite all Gor in one empire for purposes of bringing about progress and justice.
And we've seen how Thanatos becomes represented as a Cupid-type.
Sex and death. Always intimately and inextricably mingled for Tarl.
Who is himself an embodiment of Thanatos, both overtly and covertly, destroying - or at least opposed to - Civilisation/Eros.
What happens to the great city of Ar? Destruction: Tarl as Overt Thanatos
"I said nothing, knowing in my heart that I, in my way, had been responsible for this vast martial array on the banks of the Vosk. It was I who had stolen the Home Stone of Ar, who had brought about the downfall of Marlenus, the Ubar, who had set the spark that had brought Ar to anarchy and the vultures below to feed on the divided carcass of what had been Gor's greatest city."
What happens to Tharna, great and rich? Destruction: Tarl as Covert Thanatos
"Perhaps in time, however, the undisciplined but courageous bands of slaves would have been scattered and destroyed by the units of Tharna, save that the very revolution which had begun in the mines and spread to the Great Farms now flamed in the city itself. Not only slaves of the city raised the banner of defiance but men of low caste, whose brothers or friends had been sent to the mines or used in the Amusements, now dared at last to seize the instruments of their trade and turn on guardsmen and soldiers. It was said the rebellion in the city was led by a short, powerful man with blue eyes and short-cropped hair, formerly of the Caste of Metal Workers."
"A short, powerful man with blue eyes" led the rebellion, says blue-eyed Tarl. This nameless man is another avatar of Tarl, avatar of Thanatos. Wreaking destruction upon the hated women.
What happens to Ko-ro-ba, his home city? You've guessed it: destruction.
Our boy is looking like bad juju, is he not?
Tarl's "Liebestod", or, "I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee: no way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. - Othello act 5, scene 2", or,
Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
"The Ballad of Reading Gaol" Oscar Wilde
"Then, as swiftly as it had come, that nightmarish instant of immobility passed and I set my spear to take the jolt of the larl's attack. Perhaps my sudden appearance had disoriented the beast or shaken its marvelous instincts, because it must have uttered its killing cry an instant too soon, or perhaps my muscles and nerves responded to my will more rapidly than it had anticipated. When, twenty feet away, the great, bounding beast, fangs bared, leaped for its prey, it encountered instead only the slender needle of my spear, set like a stake in the ground, braced by the half-naked body of a warrior of Ko-ro-ba. The spearhead disappeared from sight in the furry breast of the larl, and the shaft of the spear began to sink into it as the weight of the animal forced it deeper into its body. I leaped from under the tawny, monstrous body, narrowly escaping the slashings of its clawed forefeet. The spear shaft snapped and the beast fell to the earth, rolling on its back, pawing at the air, uttering piercing, enraged shrieks, trying to bite the toothpick-like object from its body. With a convulsive shudder, the great head rolled to one side and the eyes half closed, leaving a milky slit of death between the lids."
Now, we've already mentioned how "Lara" is only one letter away from "Tarl".
"Larl" is even closer. And there are, we find, three species of larl: Black larls (as in "larl-maned Andreas") and Red larls (who do not have manes; as in 'red-haired Tarl', mayhap?) and White larls, only found in the mountains and tamed only by the Priest-Kings.
Now, it gets complicated here with the reaction-formation and the projection, but bear with me: Tarl is at once the half-naked warrior (and, as Antonia pointed out on Bellatrys's site, he has to go and remind us in this life-or-death moment that Tarl is half-naked) and the larl; the larl is a larl, Tarl, and also Andreas.
The spear "set like a stake in the ground" has got to make us think of his ever-favourite impaling, and we all know what that's about.
"The shaft of the spear began to sink into it as the weight of the animal forced it deeper into its body."
Penetration. That's all I'll say.
Describing Andreas as "larl-maned" means that Tarl thinks of him like the beast that tried to kill him - any bets but that he fantasised about Andreas being a "great, bounding beast, fangs bared, leap(ing) for its prey" which of course was "the half-naked body of a warrior of Ko-ro-ba", Our Boy Tarl, with his ever-so-phallic "slender needle of my spear, set like a stake" "braced" to receive the great beast so that the "shaft of the spear began to sink into it as the weight of the animal forced it deeper into its body"?
Equally, if it is a Red larl, it could be Tarl himself being impaled on the shaft of the half-naked warrior's spear/phallus. Le petit mort et le grand mort in one.
Yes, indeedy.
Everybody is penetrating and being penetrated, here. Sex and death all wrapped up together.
And what of the third variety? The rare white larl, which no man has ever successfully tamed. But the Priest-Kings have done it, which elicts reluctant admiration from Our Boy Tarl, since these hated beings have done what no mortal, no man could do.
Now, considering that these aliens have interstellar travel, and can live to be millions of years old, and are controlling all of Gor and its inhabitants, the fact that they've managed to get some larls into a menagerie is not all that great of an achievement, all things considered.
But Tarl is so impressed he revises his opinion of them.
It's all projection, isn't it?
Tarl = Larl.
Priest-Kings = Big Manly Males (never mind that they are later revealed to be neuters, or even sterile females as would be the case with bees and ants; in this context they're All Man)
Priest-Kings taming larls = Tarl being tamed by Big Manly Males
You *know* he wants it.
Alors, we know Our Boy is severely messed up - and he's the author's self-insert Gary-Stu, so what does that say for Norman's psyche?
What can be done?
Well, as Freud has suggested, Thanatos may be appeased by "emotional ties between men through love…and identifications". Any moments of true affection, understanding, and respect in these excerpts have been between Tarl and males: Kazrak, Nar, Marlenus, Andreas.
When Tarl/Norman can face up to his desires, and leave behind the necessary screen of the female submissive to the exalted male, then he will be much happier and can drop the misogyny, hatred, and cruelty, no longer having any reason to fear and hate women in the struggle for possession of what he craves yet denies. And the cities of Gor need not crumble in ruin as Tarl rejects his inmost wishes by destroying that which threatens his fragile and mistaken sense of masculinity.
May that day come soon!