I would first like to say, Anne, I agree with you about the abrupt ending. The author did such a good job with the build up of the story line only to apperantly get bored with telling the story and just kill everyone off really quickly and have everything simply happen by conicidence. That being said...
There was something that I did not like about sending Jesuits into space. This could be because I personally have issues with the control by religion of new discovery, but it definately makes sence in the context of exploration of new beings. However, the Jesuits fail to provide their normal function in space. Though they send dedicated and intelligent men abroad, they do not attempt to push ideas of God onto the native people in any way shape or form. Anne (ThePinkDoom) mentioned that they do not try to convert Sophia, which makes sence since she has already found God, even if through another religion. There are no attempts to give religion to the Runa, but isnt that the whole reason for being sent into space, to find other children of God?
Not only that, but our protagonist who loses God tells his superiors that they cannot understand how he lost God, that they dont have any way of connecting him back to God even if he tells them what happened while he was there. When he finally tells the story, we see that he begins to heal, that he is getting stronger having been home and taking care of himself for some time. I think this is too hopeful. There should be no redemption for this man. He should remain torn, stuck in his past. He has found that God does not step in to help, he was naked before God and was then raped. Though he was a spritual man for some time, that is torn from him. Going back to God makes sence in a healing process, but in this story healing doesnt seem to fit. Healing only happens with help, and all his friends who can help him are gone. This means he has to help himself, but there is nothing individual about the themes within this book. The Runa are a collective as are the Jesuits, the exploration group, the questioners of the expaditions activities. Being alone is as if the author is giving into another theme that makes the story easy to end.
I think this story reflects on what happens when one gives themselves over to much to what they feel destined to be. There are times when you have to take responcibility for things that happen to you for no real reason. Even if you get swept up in events, one has to take responcibility. This book seems to be a failing of responcibilities. Jesuits fail to convert, Emilio fails to leave the Jesuits for Mendes, Rune fail to stand against their agressors, and the theme of togetherness fails to be maintained in the book. I wonder if the author did this on purpouse, to show that we all fail sometimes. It would be interesting if she had.
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I disagree that one of the reasons they went to Rakhat was to convert. I was under the impression that they were going to explore this knowledge that God had presented them with moreso than they intended to convert the citizens of Rakhat. I guess that's why I didn't have a problem with them being Jesuits and also why I don't see them as having "failed" to convert people. They failed on their mission (although clear goals were never really stated about what to accomplish/establish).
I also disagree that Emillio fails to take responsability for his actions. If anything, I think he tries to shoulder the responsibility for the mission's failure and this is why he remains tacit. I do not think it's necessarily a bad thing that he gave himself completely to what he believed he was destined to be. Only by throwing oneself completely out there will one actually know for sure. If he had not done so, he would have spent the rest of his life wondering and doubting and questioning "what if?". I almost applaud him, even though it had such horrible consequences.
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