{"id":4921,"date":"2019-04-05T05:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4921"},"modified":"2019-03-31T06:09:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T13:09:23","slug":"mark-reads-making-money-chapter-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2019\/04\/mark-reads-making-money-chapter-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Making Money’: Chapter 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eleventh chapter of Making Money<\/i>, Moist makes a decision, and Mr. Bent wakes up. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You know, I gotta respect the fact that Moist just did<\/i> it. Pratchett opens this chapter in such an entertaining way because we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get to watch Moist pull off his plan. Rather, we find out after<\/i> it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already been done, and instead, Pratchett focuses on the reaction to it. We get to see Lord Downey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rage, and that very brief moment is so telling for his character! Moist solved the problem of the golems, but Downey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction is entitlement. He wanted the golems for his own use, specifically<\/i> for starting up another empire, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s offensive to him that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get a chance!<\/p>\n

Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s solution, though, does<\/i> benefit the city, even if people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily ready for it. Moist is thinking of the long run and the immediate future by converting Ankh-Morpork to the golem standard. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right: the value of the golems (and what they can do) is what will give Ankh-Morpork dollars their value. As Moist puts it:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to base the currency on them! I want to make them into money! Gold that guards itself! You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fake it!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It honestly solves so many problems at once. Pratchett calls back to Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s earlier bit about the worth of Ankh-Morpork itself in the explanation of the golems\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 value, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Again, I feel like there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an obvious metaphorical layer here, particularly when you consider this line:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is the worth of a gold coin compared to the dexterity of the hand that holds it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As I had said before, Moist sees people<\/i>. And it makes sense that he would view this all through that sort of lens. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manipulated and conned people his whole life, so who knows people better than Moist? This might be a stretch, but I saw this as consistent with Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s view of the world, especially the ways in which he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s changed since the start of Going Postal<\/i>. He believes what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling Sacharissa, even if it might come out like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bullshitting everyone. Gold in and of itself has no real value. But what of the work that golems can do? What of their dedication and loyalty? Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you price that much better? Much more dependably? The golems can also follow an order\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how<\/i> Moist got them to listen to him, though!!!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwithout being exploited, or at least not exploited as Lord Downey was going to. Some of them will still be used, namely the horses. (GOLEM HORSES. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so cool!!!) The rest will bury themselves outside of Ankh-Morpork, safe from from being used for terrible purposes, and gold won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be the standard for money, and EVERYTHING IS FINE.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Yeah, I did not expect this:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have also been giving the situation much thought, and all that remains is for me\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, no thanks are necessary\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcArrest this man, Commander.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Be so good as to handcuff him to a sturdy officer and put him in my coach.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In hindsight, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that Vetinari had<\/i> to do this, at least publicly. Moist had been charged with a crime, and the gold in the vault was<\/i> still missing. Did I believe that Vetinari thought that Moist had stolen it? No, not at all. But he has to give the appearance that he is respecting the law. Actually, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know if that<\/i> assertion is right. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like Vetinari is going to secretly release or exonerate Moist as soon as the Lavishes or the press isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t looking. No, Vetinari is accepting that this is part of the process, and Moist has to go through it because everyone<\/i> has to go through it. But because the hearing is the next morning in the Great Hall, I also had a thought: what if Vetenari trusts that Moist will pull some ridiculous solution to this all by then? He just did with the golems, so what if he can figure out who stole the gold by 9am the following morning?<\/p>\n
Still, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to ignore the whole conversation that Vetinari and Moist have in Vetinari\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coach. Because even if Vetinari might want Moist to get free, he is also a little pissed that Moist created a separate mess after\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, creating a bunch of messes? SO MANY MESSES. Also, can we just all accept how great this exchange is???<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know, Mr. Lipwig, killing you right now would solve an incredibly large number of problems.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intend this! Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not exactly like this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intend the Empire. It just became a bad habit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHEW. And that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exonerate anyone; it just explains how<\/i> people can become complicit in something terrible. So, even if Moist didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intend this, he still has command over FOUR THOUSAND GOLEMS and has angered a lot of people and while sticking them under the ground might keep them out of sight, is this really<\/i> going to work?<\/p>\n
I think so. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a lot of this book left. THERE IS STILL MORE TO DISCOVER.<\/p>\n
So, Pratchett closes this chapter with two unnerving scenes. First, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cosmo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to get to know Cranberry, his assassin. The whole sequence is disturbing because on the surface, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perhaps the most normal that Cosmo has ever seen. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only for a brief moment, and the whole thing is bookended with talk of murdering Mr. Bent because the Lavish family is done with him. Plus, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this:\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
It occurred to Cosmo that he really knew very little about the man. As Vetinari, of course, he would soon know everything about everybody.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Cosmo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation is self-centered and creepy. He is just imagining how Vetinari works and attempting to imitate it. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually matter that he know who Cranberry is, inasmuch as knowledge about<\/i> Cranberry can be utilized. AND THEN THIS PART IS SO AWFUL:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tomorrow I will change,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said aloud, when the door had shut behind Cranberry.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Hi, no thanks, NOW OR FOREVER. I am genuinely worried about what Cosmo is going to do in these last fifty pages? And what of Heretofore? Oh, god, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so NERVOUS.<\/p>\n
Of course, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all must know by know that there are few things I desire more in the known universe than the backstory for Mr. Bent. I have been teased with it for what feels like the entire book. This chapter is no exception! Mr. Bent finally wakes up, gets the story of what happened since his breakdown (or, Miss Drapes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s version of it), and then has a series of perplexing reactions. What the hell is he talking about?<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I have sinned. Oh, indeed I have! I have worshiped false idols!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What? What???<\/i> From this moment, Mr. Bent begins to transform as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153something\u00e2\u20ac\u009d inside of him rushes to get out, and I assume that is whatever part of him he repressed from his childhood. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get what that is, nor do I understand why the phrase that unlocks his wardrobe is, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Here we are again!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d What did he bring with him??? Why does he ask Miss Drapes who runs the circus? Is that a clue or nonsense? WHY DOES HE NEED A BAKERY OR A LADDER???<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not ready. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M NOT.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/youtu.be\/SbURG39Rw_Q<\/p>\n
Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n
– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the eleventh chapter of Making Money, Moist makes a decision, and Mr. Bent wakes up. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451],"tags":[558,463,248],"class_list":["post-4921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discworld","tag-making-money","tag-mark-reads-discworld","tag-terry-pratchett"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}