Questions about Rant (SPOILERS)
Anyone else find it hard to believe Rant didn't recognize Green when they first picked him up in the city? And if Green was the big mastermind, what happened after he confronted Rant about everything and told him the truth, weren't they all still party crashing as a group after that with Rant and Green together in the car?
And what was all the talk about Wax being the guy who killed Rant? Chuck didn't even resolve that rumor in the book.
Man, this book confused me.
Part of what's important throughout the whole novel is the idea that, I think it's Shot, brings up over and over again. He keeps saying that maybe Rant wasn't this great guy, and maybe the whole thing is bullshit. Think of Rant as a modern-day Paul Bunyan. Maybe there was a real Paul Bunyan. Maybe he was a lumberjack. Maybe he was kind of big. But then look what that story turned into.
Yeah...that is illustrated by a minor character - I believe her name was Amber. She was one of many people who claimed to have been infected by kissing Rant...which it is implied did not happen. Clearly there was at least some degree of fabrication.
On the other hand, that doesn't mean he did not time travel, or spread rabies to half the country, etc etc...it just means...heresay is unreliable and should be regarded with caution.
[QUOTE=meatball;972859]Anyone else find it hard to believe Rant didn't recognize Green when they first picked him up in the city? And if Green was the big mastermind, what happened after he confronted Rant about everything and told him the truth, weren't they all still party crashing as a group after that with Rant and Green together in the car?
And what was all the talk about Wax being the guy who killed Rant? Chuck didn't even resolve that rumor in the book.
Man, this book confused me.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I also wondered why Echo said that Wax killed Rant even though the subject was never discussed again. I even went back to find the page that Echo said it to see if it really happened or if i had imagined it, and it's definitely in there although there's no explanation as to why. Can anyone justify why?
It was an oral biography and like the very first page said there may be inconsistancies...
That's true, but I still thought that Chuck should have elaborated upon Echo's belief that Wax killed Rant. You can't forget that it is a fictional story that shouldn't have loose ends.
It's going to be a trilogy, so any loose ends could be tied up later. It's an easy answer to a lot of questions, but I suppose it is true.
I don't remember, though, did they say why Rant never died of Rabies? Was it because he kept getting it treated? Or because he became immune to it? And it didn't seem to me that a lot of people were dying from it. How does that make him a killer?
Yeah, I think there's one small mention of Rant waiting longer and longer until he got treated for it. So yes, he was getting treated for it.
It's only told to us that the rabies killed thousands, and it was even questioned (I think by Neddy the anarchist-type) whether or not the rabies epidemic was actually started by Rant or if it was a government-deployed tool to kill the Nighttimers.
[QUOTE=AmericanClone;975896]Yeah, I think there's one small mention of Rant waiting longer and longer until he got treated for it. So yes, he was getting treated for it.
It's only told to us that the rabies killed thousands, and it was even questioned (I think by Neddy the anarchist-type) whether or not the rabies epidemic was actually started by Rant or if it was a government-deployed tool to kill the Nighttimers.[/QUOTE]
OK. I just remembered Party Crashing as being a govermental way to let the nighttimers die off. But thanks!
Well...just off the top of my head, some explanations...
They were always together in the cars...they never made mention of the party crashers hanging out when they werent party crashing. And they did this exclusively at night. So it's quite possible that Rant never got a good look at Green's face, with Green in the front and Rant in the back...and based on what we read of Green, he most likely did recognize Rant, but didn't say anything.
As for Green confronting Rant...i don't think the whole group continued crashing together once Rant knew the deal.
If I'm overthinking things, it could simply be that there is the expectation that we suspend disbelief. It seems strange that no one recognizes Clark Kent as Superman, but for most of us, it is a fleeting issue that comes up rarely.
Or...think back to Surivor. Tender at the end of the novel bears no resemblence to Tender at the start of the novel, yet it is the same person. It is not unreasonable to believe that the two just changed in appearance enough for Rant and the others to fail to realize.