touching the satan pit void: the explication
ok, so here's what i was thinking about the satan pit and touching the void.
i think the similarities start from the "lowering on a rope" sequence in both. the doctor and joe are both hanging "in a void," although of course this is stylized and extreme in TSP. the situation becomes untenable because there is not enough rope; the rope is cut. (in TTV, simon cuts joe's rope because if he doesn't they will both die; in TSP, the doctor cuts his own rope because it's the only way down.)
here's where things get mixed up a little: joe survives the fall, and through his own devices is again suspended in a "void," in this case, a bewildering crevasse. here, he undergoes a sort of existential crisis; similarly, the doctor undergoes a sort of existential crisis as he descends on the rope. in both cases there's a lot about "what's down there" and wondering how far down the pit/cravasse actually goes.
joe attempts to climb out and is unable to do so; he therefore decides he must go down (the doctor tries to go back up but is unable to do so; he decides he must go down). joe further decides that he will go to the bottom of the crevasse, whether he climbs down or falls; the doctor makes a similarly radical decision to cut his rope.
in both cases, the decision appears to be suicidal. in both cases, the decision ultimately leads to "everything working out."
similarly, there is another party that joe must count on: simon and the guy at base camp have to decide to stay (which makes no sense) in order for him to survive. similarly, the doctor is completely dependent on other people to take action (which, when you think it through, doesn't make a ton of sense, either) in order for things to work out.
there are quite a few shots of joe hanging by the rope that it seems to me someone must have thought about a little when doing TSP.
i think there's probably more, but i've got a toddler demanding attention. what do you think?
i think the similarities start from the "lowering on a rope" sequence in both. the doctor and joe are both hanging "in a void," although of course this is stylized and extreme in TSP. the situation becomes untenable because there is not enough rope; the rope is cut. (in TTV, simon cuts joe's rope because if he doesn't they will both die; in TSP, the doctor cuts his own rope because it's the only way down.)
here's where things get mixed up a little: joe survives the fall, and through his own devices is again suspended in a "void," in this case, a bewildering crevasse. here, he undergoes a sort of existential crisis; similarly, the doctor undergoes a sort of existential crisis as he descends on the rope. in both cases there's a lot about "what's down there" and wondering how far down the pit/cravasse actually goes.
joe attempts to climb out and is unable to do so; he therefore decides he must go down (the doctor tries to go back up but is unable to do so; he decides he must go down). joe further decides that he will go to the bottom of the crevasse, whether he climbs down or falls; the doctor makes a similarly radical decision to cut his rope.
in both cases, the decision appears to be suicidal. in both cases, the decision ultimately leads to "everything working out."
similarly, there is another party that joe must count on: simon and the guy at base camp have to decide to stay (which makes no sense) in order for him to survive. similarly, the doctor is completely dependent on other people to take action (which, when you think it through, doesn't make a ton of sense, either) in order for things to work out.
there are quite a few shots of joe hanging by the rope that it seems to me someone must have thought about a little when doing TSP.
i think there's probably more, but i've got a toddler demanding attention. what do you think?