Mark Reads ‘Snuff’: Part 6

In the sixth part of Snuff, Vimes tries to seek out something wrong. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Snuff. 

Oh my god, VIMES FOUND SOMETHING?????

Ariadne’s Daughters

You know, there’s a crucial bit of context that we get at the end of this long scene from Lady Sybil, though there’s a hint of it from one of the daughters: Ariadne is running out of money. And within this very specific society, to have not “much of an income” AND be without a husband is a dire thing. Initially, I was worried that Vimes’s behavior would be read as more condescending and paternalistic than anything else, especially since his vibe was making it feel like he just knew so much better than all these women. So the optics were odd! But throughout this scene, I wondered aloud at least once why Sybil wasn’t stopping Vimes. Why had she brought him to this house, knowing what would inevitably be the topic of conversation?

Well, it was all intentional. So I wanted to start at the end and work my way back because of this:

“I told Ariadne that you wouldn’t let her down. She doesn’t have much of an income, and if you hadn’t given them the righteous word I think she would have eventually driven them out with a shovel.”

Knowing this, it’s easy for me to re-interpret what I read. Ariadne’s daughters were waiting for a solution to come into their lives. And I get why! That’s what they were supposed to do. The expectation was that their father would pay a dowry, they would be married off, and they’d have new lives handed to them. As Mavis (possibly) states, it would be scandalous for them to pick up some sort of trade or skill. “It’s just not done,” she says.
Except… one of their sisters already did this. And she might be “an embarrassment to the family,” but she’s also not waiting around for anything. She’s not in a predicament where she has to hope that her Great-aunt Marigold passes so that there can be a money for a dowry. What I really enjoyed about this is that Vimes did not just complain and criticize, though. He actually offered them a means to pursue something that they otherwise could not consider. And I really appreciate criticism that is genuinely constructive, you know? Vimes mentions the proper that he and Sybil own in Old Cobblers, and then offers rent free occupancy for THREE MONTHSn while they settled in. That’s generous and helpful and meaningful! AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO JANE. I love that she hears all of this and then basically goes, “Well, I have a different idea about how to get out of this predicament.” WRITING. It’s gloriously meta, of course, and Pratchett pokes fun at writing as a career and the very nature of gritty crime novels, but he doesn’t have Vimes crush Jane’s dream. Because to me, the whole point of this is that Ariadne’s daughters weren’t really dreaming of anything else!

Instinct

Look, I said this on video, but it’s worth repeating: I didn’t think that of all the characters introduced thus far, Jethro would be the first one to open up to Vimes. I thought it would be Jiminy! That seemed to be the most obvious of them all because he used to be a policeman, so there was this shared connection of experience and instinct. Vimes, once he gets that sensation that something has gone wrong, even seeks Jiminy out first. But this is Terry Pratchett I’m writing about, and so often, he subverts my expectations. Here, he does it yet again by having Vimes miscalculate. What he attempts to do would probably have worked in the city, but:

“In the city you’re a face in the crowd. In the country people will stare at you until you’re out of sight, just for the entertainment value. Like you say, I’m not a copper anymore: I ain’t got a warrant card, and I ain’t got the inclination. And now, if you don’t mind, I have some work to do. There’ll be more customers soon. Watch where you tread, your grace.”

I admit that I was also very surprised that Vimes then issued a threat about owning the pub itself. It’s a bold move, sure, but it almost felt slightly out of character for him, only in the sense that Vimes has really not used his wealth in this specific way before. But his original attempt didn’t work, so I read this as him experimenting! He tried a different technique and… it also didn’t work. Jiminy didn’t respond to the threat as Vimes wanted him to! It’s at this point that Jethro entered and I was CERTAIN there was going to be a fight. I mean, how could I not think that? Jethro goaded Vimes on; Vimes kept nudging him, ever so softly, in the wrong direction. Seriously, once he said that line explaining how he came to own the land, I was sure Jethro Jefferson was going to throw a punch. 

GODS. BLESS. WILLIKINS. I am just so HAPPY with how Pratchett uses him here, especially since Willikins gets to openly be “his sort” in the story itself. But what’s also so fascinating about this is how quickly the tone of that room changes. Even though Jethro still tries to intimidate Vimes, the dynamic shifts, and I think it is in part because Vimes does not budge. Jethro threatens him, he is certainly physically capable of winning a fight with Vimes, and yet… Vimes. VIMES IS OUT OF CONTROL. Except he’s not! He has so much experience dealing with big men and bullies and blowhards, and so much of what Vimes does is purely mental. He freaks out Jethro, gets under his skin, plants himself in his head. And as more and more people gather to watch the “little demonstration of fisticuffs, I believe Jethro started panicking. Vimes’s smile didn’t help matters! Why was Vimes so sure he was going to win? That had to be what was going through Jethro’s head. 

Vimes’s victory was stunning, but not surprising. It’s also such a clever way of gaining some little shred of Jethro’s trust, but I think there’s a more important aspect to this fight: Vimes revealed that he used to be a street kid. Jethro knows the truth! How long until he shares that with others? How long until that eats away at his mental narrative for Vimes? God, it was so smart of him to wait to reveal this until it was just him and Jethro!!!

SO WHAT IS JETHRO’S SECRET??? What does he know?

https://youtu.be/KPYdZHc7lms

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