A small bit of catching up with other comments. I quite agree, Jeff and Pooh that the scene in the caves is extremely powerful, though I don’t think that Nanny knowingly gives her the blood idea—though Terry has undoubtedly thought of it by this time. And I think that Granny is disturbed and worried by her apparent failure to be invited to the christening. Granny knows that she’s not a “people person”, and it’s clear from her first appearance (prior to making the delivery of the stillborn child—a choice she makes) that she’s looking for her invitation. It’s a mark of respect that is due to her.
But the real passage showing how disturbing it is to her not to have been asked (apparently) begins with her recollection of her judging of the child murderer—and her belief that the burden of making the hard choices, as all witches do, is particularly heavy on her because she is called for the “hard cases.” However, the imagery of that passage strongly suggests that she is also beginning to feel the impact of the probing of Count Magpyr.
As to the ax—it’s not when they start out that Granny stresses the importance of Oats having the ax and being willing to use it when necessary. Its importance in dealing with vampires is brought up by Granny before she goes into her struggle to maintain her own soul. She commands him to have a sharpened stake and ax to behead her if she wakes up as a vampire.
Granny couldn’t have beaten the vampires without the care and help of Oats. She finds her way back into the world through Oats’ prayers which wriggle like little golden fish toward the light and by the phoenix’s flashes of light which wink out if she looks at it too long. It seems clear to me that she would have died, at least twice, on the journey, but for Oats’ care for her. Had she died, the best they could hoped for was that Igor’s Old Master could solve the problem. And Igor doesn’t know anything about Granny’s power when he summons The Old Master. The “Weatherwaxing” might or might not have worked had she died before she confronted them. It took Oats as well as Granny to deal with the vampires.
My problem with the ending is with Granny’s inability ever to acknowledge her debt to Oats. He thanks her the next morning for the transformation she has helped him achieve, but all she can do is smile at him then and on their return to ask the Lancrestians to give him respect. Granny is unable to acknowledge, ever, that she would have failed but for him. She circles, as an eagle, above the service, and she’s obviously had a word with Nanny and Magrat but her last action is to change her sign to read “I STILL ATE’NT DEAD” .
It’s true that Granny has her own little ways, but even though Oats is not a witch, she owes him and I found it disturbing that Terry didn’t deal more specifically with that.
But the real passage showing how disturbing it is to her not to have been asked (apparently) begins with her recollection of her judging of the child murderer—and her belief that the burden of making the hard choices, as all witches do, is particularly heavy on her because she is called for the “hard cases.” However, the imagery of that passage strongly suggests that she is also beginning to feel the impact of the probing of Count Magpyr.
As to the ax—it’s not when they start out that Granny stresses the importance of Oats having the ax and being willing to use it when necessary. Its importance in dealing with vampires is brought up by Granny before she goes into her struggle to maintain her own soul. She commands him to have a sharpened stake and ax to behead her if she wakes up as a vampire.
Granny couldn’t have beaten the vampires without the care and help of Oats. She finds her way back into the world through Oats’ prayers which wriggle like little golden fish toward the light and by the phoenix’s flashes of light which wink out if she looks at it too long. It seems clear to me that she would have died, at least twice, on the journey, but for Oats’ care for her. Had she died, the best they could hoped for was that Igor’s Old Master could solve the problem. And Igor doesn’t know anything about Granny’s power when he summons The Old Master. The “Weatherwaxing” might or might not have worked had she died before she confronted them. It took Oats as well as Granny to deal with the vampires.
My problem with the ending is with Granny’s inability ever to acknowledge her debt to Oats. He thanks her the next morning for the transformation she has helped him achieve, but all she can do is smile at him then and on their return to ask the Lancrestians to give him respect. Granny is unable to acknowledge, ever, that she would have failed but for him. She circles, as an eagle, above the service, and she’s obviously had a word with Nanny and Magrat but her last action is to change her sign to read “I STILL ATE’NT DEAD” .
It’s true that Granny has her own little ways, but even though Oats is not a witch, she owes him and I found it disturbing that Terry didn’t deal more specifically with that.
