Chapter XI: With Dejah Thoris
John manages to cheese off the more sadistic of Dejah's pair of former guards, something he said came back to bite them.
- It's not Foreshadowing, really, and kinda kills suspense, but it does kinda make sense in terms of the memoir Framing Story.
They set themselves up in new quarters. Stopping to chat while Sola is out getting supplies, they seem to be falling for each other, or at least hitting it off very well.
John explains that he is from Virginia, on Earth. Dejah seems very familiar with it, and explains they have instruments to view events on Earth, projecting images with great detail.
- Probably an extension of the old Crystal Ball, or photography, this being, 1912, but I was kinda freaked out a first, thinking he was describing television.
- Also, it seems one of the minor hats of Mars is not wearing hats. Or much of anything else, really. Dejah is totally an Innocent Fanservice Girl, "What are those grotesque cloth contraptions your people wrap themselves with?" indeed.
- Apparently Edgar Rice Burroughs did this in Tarzan, too; Author Appeal?
- John has been promoting himself like crazy; he's the 11th most important person in the tribe.
- I wonder how hard that is, I mean; Mook, Mook, Mook... doesn't make for stiff competition. Then again, going from POW to boss os pretty impressive.
Sols returns, mentioning she saw the ex-guard snooping about. Uh oh. Before they have time to discuss this turn of events, John is summoned before the chief.
Also, even if it's bad, please say something.
Comments
TheGirlWithPointyEars
Since: Dec, 1969
Dec 10th 2010 at 7:55:01 PM
Hey, me here again :D No, not bad at all! You just might want to depart from simple summary a bit more. Interesting that Dejah is an alien and yet she's apparently so beautiful to Carter's eyes (this guy Kirk with an eye for space babes? LOL.). Not to mention red skinned... Native American allegory mayhaps?
DrRockopolis
Since: Dec, 1969
Dec 10th 2010 at 8:57:12 PM
Thanks! Maybe I'll think of more clever commentary in the morning; feels like I'm starting to get the hang of it, I hope.
Definitely a case of Damsel In Distress meets Knight In Shining Armor, at least. I'd say he's building up a harem, but Sola is Just Friends. And green. Though an Interspecies Romance Mixed Marriage would have been way ahead of its time. Guess Who's Coming To Barsoom?
It's weird, red skinned, despite being a captive of the injun analogue...speaking of, I never understood 'red skinned' as a description for Native Americans.
My mind sometimes moves in extremely odd tangents. Oh god, I can't stop picturing John Carter sounding.like Foghorn Leghorn.
arbane
Since: Dec, 1969
Dec 11th 2010 at 1:26:59 AM
Something!
I've been enjoying this well enough.
I never understood 'red skinned' as a description for Native Americans.
Redskin: A native of the Americas, whose skin is not red...on the outside. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
And the Red Martians are mostly city-dwellers, IIRC. The Green Martians are more like the Mongolian Horde or something.
I never understood 'red skinned' as a description for Native Americans.