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The Subtle Knife Chapter Discussions, Chapters 1-3 |
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 May 15 2008, 01:43 PM
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The Subtle Knife Chapter Summaries
Chapter One: The book begins with the introduction of Will, a steady child who has been caring for his ailing mother. He is desperately trying to persuade his old music teacher, Mrs. Cooper, to allow his mother to stay with her for a few days. We find that he and his mother are being harassed by unknown men.
After leaving his mother in the care of the kind Mrs. Cooper, Will returns to his home to search for a mysterious green leather case, which must be of the utmost importance, as his home is invaded by the men who have been harassing his mother. Will finds the leather case, and , as he is making his escape, one of the men is knocked down the stairs and is killed.
Will runs away from home, with the precious case in his possession, and reminisces about events from his childhood, including the time he first suspected that his mother was mentally ill, and ponders on memories of discussions about his father.
As he is looking for a suitable place to hide from the police, he stumbles upon a cat, who leads him through a window to another world.
The world Will enters is seemingly devoid of life. He chooses an abandoned home to sleep, and there he is attacked by Lyra, who has also made her way to this world. After an initial assessment of each other, Will and Lyra settle into a truce. Will prepares an omelet for them to eat, and then insists that Lyra clean up.
Chapter Two: We find Serafina Pekkala recovering from the turmoil in the atmosphere caused by Lord Asriel’s experiment. As she is trying to get her bearings, she comes across a witches daemon, who is lost and panicking. She hears the sound of a foghorn, and goes to investigate. Aboard the ship she uses her powers to make herself invisible, and makes her way to a council of leaders, who are discussing the recent developments and consulting their own alethiometer. Serafina also discovers that Mrs. Coulter is planning to torture a sister witch for information.
Mrs. Coulter cruelly interrogates the captive witch, who finally yields to the torture, and begins to tell Mrs. Coulter about the prophecy concerning Lyra. Just before she reveals the crucial information, Serafina steps out of the shadows, and claims her life.
Serafina narrowly escapes the ship, and returns to Trollesund to consult with Dr. Lanselius, who advises her to contact Lord Asriel’s servant, Thorold. They discuss Lyra and Lord Asriel’s plan to confront and defeat the Authority.
The witches hold a council to share this information and to decide their course of action. Lee Scoresby is invited to attend this meeting. The witches decide to support Lyra, under the direction of Serafina Pekkala and the beautiful Rita Skadi, former lover of Lord Asriel himself. The plan is settled thusly, Lee Scoresby is to go in search of Stanislaus Grumman, to find out what he knows. Serafina and twenty-one of her sisters go in search of Lyra, and Rita Skadi chooses to accompany them in search of Lord Asriel.
Chapter Three: Lyra awakes from a nightmare about the head of Stanislaus Grumman that Lord Asriel had shown her. She prepares herself an omelette, and offers one to Will when he joins her for breakfast. He declines, as Lyra doesn’t appear to be the best cook, and over cereal they discuss their respective worlds. Lyra shares with him her plan to search for a Scholar to help her understand Dust.
They are both startled to hear a child’s voice, and are introduced to Angelica and her brother, Paolo. Angelica explains to Will and Lyra that Specters had chased the adults away, and that the children have the run of the little town. Paolo also slips and mentions that they are in the city with another brother, Tullio, who is hiding. Angelica hushes her brother, and they go on their way.
Will and Lyra make plans to visit Will’s Oxford. Will insists that Lyra clean herself up, and find clothes that will allow her to blend into his world. On their way to the window, they pass the ominous tower of Ci’gazze.
Will and Lyra climb through the window to his world, where Lyra is struck by a van. She is not seriously hurt, but she is bewildered by the differences that exist in this Oxford.
Questions to ponder:
* Why does Will label himself a killer?
* What do you suppose is wrong with Will’s mother?
* Based on Will’s behavior, what qualities does he possess?
* Why does Lyra believe that a murderer is a trustworthy companion?
* How do Lyra’s morals contrast with Will’s?
* Did your perception of any of the characters change from your impression of them in the first book?
These questions are only a jumping off point, feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas!
This post has been edited by Pyxis: May 16 2008, 11:48 PM
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May 17 2008, 10:44 PM
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Leaky Cauldron Napkin Folder
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QUOTE(Pyxis @ May 15 2008, 01:43 PM)  Questions to ponder:
* Why does Will label himself a killer?
* What do you suppose is wrong with Will’s mother?
* Based on Will’s behavior, what qualities does he possess?
* Why does Lyra believe that a murderer is a trustworthy companion?
* How do Lyra’s morals contrast with Will’s?
* Did your perception of any of the characters change from your impression of them in the first book?
These questions are only a jumping off point, feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas! I think Will labels himself a murderer because he feels completely responsible for the man's death. Sure, he was not intending to kill the man, he couldn't have forseen Moxy being in the way, but he still blames himself because he was the one who pushed the man to his death.
I believe Will is a natural leader. He takes the initiative to find a place with Mrs. Cooper for his mother to stay. He is an honest, upright young man. He has Lyra clean up after themselves when they are in the cafe and he leaves money behind when he takes things.
Will is, in my opinion, a more moral person. He pays for the things he takes, and tries to keep things clean. He is an honest person, and tries not to lie if he can help it; a far cry from Lyra's habitual pattern of lying. Lyra has no problems being deceitful and dishonest, while Will tries to be as honest as possible. 
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May 18 2008, 08:34 PM
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QUOTE * Why does Will label himself a killer?
Will had never really encountered death much less right in front of him. He feels responsible for the death of a man, even though whatever interaction happened was only in self defense.
QUOTE * What do you suppose is wrong with Will’s mother?
I think that Will's mother lost it after the disappearance of Will's father. She became out of touch with reality. On the other hand I also think that she may have been seeing into the other worlds that are layered on top of each other.
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May 19 2008, 12:23 AM
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Just Through the Brick Wall
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QUOTE(Pyxis @ May 15 2008, 01:43 PM) Questions to ponder:
* Why does Will label himself a killer?
* What do you suppose is wrong with Will’s mother?
* Based on Will’s behavior, what qualities does he possess?
* Why does Lyra believe that a murderer is a trustworthy companion?
* How do Lyra’s morals contrast with Will’s?
* Did your perception of any of the characters change from your impression of them in the first book?
These questions are only a jumping off point, feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas!
* Does will label himself a killer? I certainly remember the alethiometer saying 'he's a murderer'. I suppose Will does think he is a killer, and when it finally hits him that he killed someone you see how much it affected him. Now that I think about it, I think that maybe, deep down Will may have come to realise/subconsciously convinced himself that his father had probably killed people before, and what does Will want more than to find and get to know his father?
*I reckon Will's mother knew exactly what happened to her husband; how he disappeared and why he didnt return. I think she never got over him leaving (shown by the fact that she keeps re-reading the letters) and was never able to cope properly with being a single parent, and eventually her mind started to suffer under the strain. Add to that the torment of these people trying to find out about John Parry and she just got worse.
I may be mistaken, having only done a year of psychology at 6th form and only managing a C - but doesnt she show signs of being schizophrenic ? Maybe someone else can clear that up :S
*Will's behaviour says to me that he is driven by his emotions and his sense of justice. When his mother starts to show signs of being (for lack of a better word) "mental", his love for her allows him to look after her and protect her. How many 7 year old boys willingly try to learn how to wash up and cook and clean the house?
SPOILER is for chapter 9! Dont read if you havnt got that far!
Later on, when the alethiometer gets stolen, I like to think that Will see's how wrong it was and how distressed it makes Lyra, and that is why he works so hard to get it back.
*Lyra's belief that a murderer is trustworthy stems from the experiences she had in the last book (which I refuse to call 'the Golden Compass', even though its named that everywhere except the UK). Since the Master of Jordan gave her the alethiometer, Lyra has been in almost constant peril, and so she has always sought protection. At one point that is with Lord Faa and Farder Coram, two men, powerful, wise and with a wealth of experience of battle. Then she finds protection from Iorek Byrnison, someone she sees as so powerful and deadly. In the end she attached herself to the people who she knew were capable of protecting her, and now Will is there and he has killed before.
*I think that whereas Will and Lyra are similar in the fact that they are both driven by emotion and their own sense of justice, Lyra still has a sense of childishness about her actions. From the start of the book, we see Will portrayed like an adult; he has adult problems and he deals with things more seriously than Lyra - in less of a 'school-yard squabble' sort of way, which Lyra is akin to doing.
*My perception of Lyra didnt 'change', but here we see her for the first time in truly new surroundings, where kids have no daemons and there are no grown-ups and they have cola and baked beans and omelettes... You get to see a different side of her, and from an outsider's perspective too, which was very interesting.
My perception of Lee Scoresby changed. In Northern Lights he seemed too preoccupied with himself, asking about money and compensation when he was talking to Serafina Pekkala, and saying things like 'not seeming to be rude..' . But now he seems to have shifted his focus to Lyra and helping her. He also seems more courteous to the witches, although it might be because he was rescued by them. I dont know.. he seems driven in new ways now, and I prefer this side of his character. Perhaps Im making something of nothing and he was always like this.
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May 19 2008, 12:39 PM
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Just Through the Brick Wall
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QUOTE(Pyxis @ May 15 2008, 08:43 AM) Questions to ponder:
* Why does Will label himself a killer?
* What do you suppose is wrong with Will’s mother?
* Based on Will’s behavior, what qualities does he possess?
* Why does Lyra believe that a murderer is a trustworthy companion?
* How do Lyra’s morals contrast with Will’s?
* Did your perception of any of the characters change from your impression of them in the first book?
These questions are only a jumping off point, feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas!
Unlike Lyra, Will seems to be a much more grounded individual. Where as Lyra is more of a free spirit that just rolls with things as they happen, Will thinks things through. However, he does have a tendency to over think things at times, which is one of the reasons why he considers himself a murderer. Despite the circumstances, he allows the guilt of the man's death weigh heavily on him where as Lyra would have shrugged it off as a he was a bad person and would not really think twice over it. This is just one of the many ways that Will and Lyra are suited for each other. They are opposites in many ways, and them being together balances out the other. Whatever characteristic one lacks, the other has.
I think that it is obvious from the descriptions later in the book that Will's mother has been effected by the Specters that have somehow been feeding off of her. Some what ironic considering what role her son and husband play in terms of dust.
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May 21 2008, 12:02 PM
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QUOTE(Pyxis @ May 15 2008, 07:43 PM) * Why does Lyra believe that a murderer is a trustworthy companion? QUOTE(MikePhoenixLament @ May 19 2008, 06:23 AM) *Lyra's belief that a murderer is trustworthy stems from the experiences she had in the last book (which I refuse to call 'the Golden Compass', even though its named that everywhere except the UK). Since the Master of Jordan gave her the alethiometer, Lyra has been in almost constant peril, and so she has always sought protection. At one point that is with Lord Faa and Farder Coram, two men, powerful, wise and with a wealth of experience of battle. Then she finds protection from Iorek Byrnison, someone she sees as so powerful and deadly. In the end she attached herself to the people who she knew were capable of protecting her, and now Will is there and he has killed before.
I thought the same thing. It jarred with me at first, because surely Lyra would want to be surrounded by 'good' people, however I think after her experiences with Mrs Coulter and the Oblation Board she has seen that there is something worse than death, and therefore something worse than a murderer. Will is more straightforward and therefore more trustworthy by comparison. I also agree with you MikePhoenixLament in that she assumes that Will must have strength and bravery in order to be able to kill and she wants his protection. As she doesn't know the details of the death she is making assumptions that aren't really correct. He is brave, but I dont' think he is a murderer. I suppose the alethiometer names him so because that's how he sees himself. 
QUOTE * Did your perception of any of the characters change from your impression of them in the first book? I was a bit shocked at the cruelty of Mrs Coulter breaking the witch's fingers. I knew she was ruthless but always thought that she believed her 'experiments' were for good, and that she preferred to let others do the actual work and just watch. So far she seems even worse!
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May 21 2008, 11:08 PM
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QUOTE(MikePhoenixLament @ May 18 2008, 11:23 PM) *I reckon Will's mother knew exactly what happened to her husband; how he disappeared and why he didnt return. I think she never got over him leaving (shown by the fact that she keeps re-reading the letters) and was never able to cope properly with being a single parent, and eventually her mind started to suffer under the strain. Add to that the torment of these people trying to find out about John Parry and she just got worse.
I may be mistaken, having only done a year of psychology at 6th form and only managing a C - but doesnt she show signs of being schizophrenic ? Maybe someone else can clear that up :S
I thought she sounded schizophrenic too, the whole counting the slats on the benches, and I agree, I think it was brought on by the strain. I can't imagine the anguish that would accompany the disappearance of a loved one, but to then be 'stalked' could certainly lead to being unbalanced. Interesting how her mental illness probably helped Will. The people that were harrassing his mother are not the kind of people that you can report to your local police station, so his need to protect her probably kept him safe, since she was able to communicate her fear and convince him to take precautions seriously so that she would stay lucid. Does that make sense?
Some more questions:
* What is the symbolism behind hornbeam trees? What about cats? They seem to figure prominently in the first part of this book, is there a reason?
* What is your opinion of the 'magic' Serafina performed to make herself invisible? Does it fit your definition of 'magic', or does it seem rather ordinary?
* In the council aboard the boat, the Church leaders are crediting Lyra with "leading the gyptian men to Bolvanger" and "deposing Iofur Raknison". Did she earn the credit for these deeds? If not, why would the leaders embellish her accomplishments?
* The Magesterium has had all alethiometers destroyed but two, one of which is in the possession of the council aboard the ship; the other is with Lyra. What do you suppose was the reason for destroying the alethiometers? Why keep and use one?
* Why did the captive witch not ask for Yambe Akka until she was reunited with her daemon?
* In her interview with Dr. Lanselius, Serafina says she fears Mrs. Coulter. Serafina is a witch, beyond the authority of the Magisterium, why does she fear Mrs. Coulter?
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