[spoilers] Lucas. Just Lucas.

[HellsBells]

(23-11-2010 09:51 PM)binkie Wrote:  

(23-11-2010 04:25 PM)Byatil Wrote:  In 8.4, Lucas and Dasharvin use the aliases 'Wilde' and 'Grey'. I'm assuming these refer to Oscar Wilde, and perhaps the book "The Picture Of Dorian Grey"? Can anyone offer any further insight into this? I haven't read the book.

For what it's worth, I think there are several things happening in this little knot of references.

1. Oleg tells Lucas to meet him at the White Cube. I don't know if you've ever seen or visited this gallery, but it is very aptly named. It's just another cell to put Lucas in, and demonstrates again how much this relationship is defined in terms of Oleg's choosing.
2. The image of Oscar Wilde is often invoked in modern literature and literary criticsm as an allusion to captivity. I think this serves an interesting purpose here. Oleg could have chosen any author, and we have been primed to expect him to choose someone English (Dickens, Trollope, etc.), but he chooses instead an Irishman who died young, ruined by his experience of prison.
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray is, essentially, a retelling of the story of Doctor Faustus, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for additional years of life. Oleg would, as Lucas' principal interrogator, have been fully aware that Lucas had agreed to spy for Russia upon his release from prison. It's easy to see how this could translate, both in Oleg's judgment and in Lucas' self-critical mind set, as a deal with the devil. It's an early example of Oleg's later insistence that he knows Lucas' mind.

I'm glad to see you are continuing with your analysis of this episode. It's a hard one to watch, but it's so important to an appreciation of Lucas' character and potential. I look forward to reading more from you on this when you have time

Thanks for this wonderful insight into this reference, I now feel I understand this so much better.