Comic Discussion > ALICE GROVE
Alice Grove MCDLT - May 2016
brasca:
--- Quote from: Wildroses on 20 May 2016, 23:18 ---
--- Quote from: JimC on 20 May 2016, 22:49 ---
--- Quote from: Wildroses on 20 May 2016, 22:38 ---But she shouldn't be using violence.
--- End quote ---
Quite in character though. Violence to intimidate the town was first resort when she appeared, violence was imminent when the children set on her, violence in cave with Struthis... Makes you wonder what sort of society they have up in space.
Perhaps it also says something about us, because supposing you reverse the roles and we had Ardent the violent male and Gavia the likeable sociable female, instead of vice versa, how would that play out to us?
--- End quote ---
Oh good heavens yes, I'm certainly not going to argue with you there. Certainly in character. Alice Grove is in many ways an interesting foil to QC, as in QC all the characters are basically nice, and I have no doubts that is how Jeph wants people to see them. In Alice Grove, the four current characters who seem to be the protagonists aren't nice and I'm not sure Jeph wants his readers to see them as nice. Ardent is the closest, but I have my doubts sometimes about his inability to see how the pursuit of his own desires impacts on others.
Regarding the space society, it does seem to be one that is considered 'safe'. There was an earlier comic when Gavia expressed doubts about how safe it was for children to walk through the woods to Alice's home. Alice got sarcastic about her concern, but Gavia refused to be baited and said where she was from it was safe for children, but it isn't here.
I always wondered if their society was one in which people pretty much have nothing to do but pursue pleasure (probably because the Praeses do all the actual work and protection). They have no responsibilities, concerns or problems, and so they have never needed to learn skills like discipline, problem solving and coping with adversity. Thus, Ardent arrived thinking it was perfectly acceptable to disrupt the earth society because he wanted a vacation and was genuinely surprised when a girl slapped him for asking three minutes after they met if she wanted to fuck. And Gavia arrived thinking violence was the best solution for finding Ardent and getting home, and violence is the best way to express her current dissatisfaction with her life.
--- End quote ---
They do seem to lack social skills, but Gavia's intention was to scare away people so she could retrieve Ardent. If she was indifferent to loss of life she'd have used deadly force from the beginning. And in addition to the aforementioned concern for children being in a dangerous forest she was also shaken by having to kill that chameleon to save Ardent. Perhaps her original intention was just sneak into the village and bring Ardent back. Given the many technological tricks she had I wouldn't be surprised if she had an invisibility field, but perhaps the Praeses advised that shock and awe would be more effective because they knew what would happen.
Gavia should be blaming them since they do not appear as benevolent as she thinks. However, the Praeses are like parents or even living gods who she's trusted her entire life. With everything else that's happened to her such betrayal would be unbearable so she probably doesn't want to even think about it. However, she and Ardent have a history of sibling quarreling so of course he's going to feel the brunt of her wrath.
mikmaxs:
This raises the question: What did Gavia actually lose? We know nothing about their life pre-comic. Did they have friends? Family? What were their jobs?
BenRG:
FWIW, it is possible that Ardent and Gavia's culture do not have nuclear families. Why shouldn't children be raised the KPAX way by the entire community? That way, you don't have any of this potentially discord-generating loyalty to clans or anyone other than the community as a whole (and the Praeses, who give them everything they think that they want).
What I'm saying is that they may have never known their parents because their parents were totally uninvolved with their upbringing because in the Praeses 'perfect society', parents are an impediment to the social order.
brasca:
--- Quote from: BenRG on 21 May 2016, 09:33 ---FWIW, it is possible that Ardent and Gavia's culture do not have nuclear families. Why shouldn't children be raised the KPAX way by the entire community? That way, you don't have any of this potentially discord-generating loyalty to clans or anyone other than the community as a whole (and the Praeses, who give them everything they think that they want).
What I'm saying is that they may have never known their parents because their parents were totally uninvolved with their upbringing because in the Praeses 'perfect society', parents are an impediment to the social order.
--- End quote ---
Sounds similar to the genetically engineered society in Brave New World although Ardent seems to be the only one that is sexually active as well as immodest. I think Alice is the one that wants him to wear more than those red shorts. I don't know how prudish or libertine the space habitats are, but if Gavia is just the opposite of her brother she won't be pleased to know that her dress disappeared with her nanotech.
retrosteve:
--- Quote from: Wildroses on 20 May 2016, 23:18 ---Quite in character though. Violence to intimidate the town was first resort when she appeared, violence was imminent when the children set on her, violence in cave with Struthis...
--- End quote ---
"All right, fine, it's true, she's not a demon. She's an asshole. "
--Alice
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