#(and also with 'detoolifying' himself; hes turning himself into a cripple he is 'useless'. this gives him the justification

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

deeply enjoy that the novel can also be read as a commentary on the fallacy of information. we have zzs as the main narrator who adds to this nuance by being a former spymaster and leader of a bunch of proficient investigators. hes very intimate with the process of verification of information, and even his vast databank of knowledge and his abilities of filtering and sorting the "true" from the "fake" is tested throughout the novel through many instances and events. its especially interesting because he makes a major mistake, almost from the very start, that he resolves only after a very long time, and only after overcoming personal weaknesses. his personal weakness at recognizing truth vs decept reveals itself in the inability to meet personal events with a human perspective; he is basically functioning like a person with two lives, and most of the time, he at least acts as if he is regarding wkx, suspected master of ghosts, from the professional business grounds of the retired leader of shadows rather than from the perspective of a person with an adventurous life and wishes of his own. in this lies the danger to misinterpret and to refuse to confront what is truly going on. if zzs cant 'find' the "true reason" for the ghost master following his humble retired self, he is going to do his utmost to make up one (on the basis of his personal and professional experience with such situations), instead of considering at least once the admittedly unlikely chance that wkx might like him and is even deeply sincere about him. this doesnt signal anything less but that we, as the reader, should not irrevocably trust even the one person who is in most stories the most trustworthy; the main narrator. instead, we are advised to reserve us the right to doubt and think for ourself, to look critically upon even zzs, which only circles back to the novel's theme of the fallacy of information. it even lends to the novel's dialogue with the human right to form your own opinion and your own thoughts and come to your own conclusions, no matter how much they might diverge from norm or mainstream or traditions, and no matter how tempting it might be not to.

#tian ya ke #just thoughts im having while im continuing my reread #zhou zishu from tyk #zhou zishu #this has me wondering if zzs's struggle with himself regarding trusting in wkx's display of sincerity #can also be read as his general struggle with being a person with a life of his own and private opinions in service of no other than himsel #one of the things he learns is that is okay to have desires and its okay to Be a person #oftentimes that reveals itself in the novel's question of morality as a concept and the conditions for receiving love and care #'are villains and ppl whove done bad stuff deserving of love and care? do they need to earn it?' #but i think it also comes true here where zzs essentially needs to find a way to be human again #going from having lived a life with a truly atrocious work/life balance to a life that is fully and entirely his own #(i always think that zzs taking the nails has a lot to do with reclaiming ownership) #(and also with 'detoolifying' himself; hes turning himself into a cripple he is 'useless'. this gives him the justification #he needs to live according to his own personal whims and desires.) #updating my tags to find my insane chat with geneticcatalyst again-> #bouncing thoughts back and forth #the mutual tag #geneticcatalyst