The Sword and Laser discussion

What's the point of it?

Is it just a bridging story between "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing" and "Half Lives"?

All of the other stories seem to work on the theme of the strong preying on the weak and the defiance to that, but this one doesn't seem to fit the pattern.

Had initial trouble justifying the Frobisher story as well. Reflected on it for a spell and came up with some v. interesting ideas. See what you think:(view spoiler)[

Firstly, I agree that a major connecting thread though all the stories is that they feature a disruptive protagonist who attempts to subvert the "natural [typically unfair] order of things." With that in mind, I think Frobisher's story fits, but his subversiveness is somewhat difficult to identify because it does not drive his narrative until the end. His story is really all over the place.

Looking at the pieces of his story however...

1) There's the symbolism of the opening surreal dream: Frobisher in a china shop having a moment of existential crisis/epiphany as he shatters the precious constructs that have been built up so rigidly around him. This to me is the abstract manifestation of his rebellious soul.

2) The dream leads to his backstory. He's in a fix due to his outright rejection of privilege and his spurning of a culture filled pretension and loftiness practiced by his family, teachers and pupils. It's this defiant spirit that ultimately endears him to Ayrs.

3) The pivotal point of the book, the divorce between Frobisher and Ayrs happened because Frobisher wouldn't comply with Ayrs' demand for him to forfeit credit for his music. Frobisher is given an ultimatum: adhere to a predatory practice of unfair accreditation, or become an exile from respected society. His decision ends up defining his entire story, and he doesn't simply go away quietly, he goes out with a bang. And one can assume his suicide had repercussions in his world since he became known later as a "wunderkind."

------ Some pertinent quotes ------

During their major quarrel, here's a quote from Ayrs: "Reputation is the king of the public sphere, not private. It is dethroned by public acts. Disinheritance. Fleeing famous hotels. Defaulting on monies owed to the gentry's lenders of last resort."

Earlier on in the story, Frobisher makes this comment about Ayrs' reverence for composers over lesser members of society: "How vulgar, this hankering after immortality, how vain, how false. Composers are merely scribblers of cave paintings."

Quote towards the ends about the Sextet Frobisher devotes the remainder of his life to: "Lifetime's music, arriving all at once. Boundaries between noise and sound are conventions, I see now. All boundaries are conventions, national ones too. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so."

------

So while Frobisher's story was a bit more scrambled and more self-serving, I still think it falls into place along side the others. I think his suicide represents his soul's fundamental incompatibility with a world of subjugation, and the publication of his Sextet is his legacy of defiance that endured long after he passed. (hide spoiler)]

One more pertinent quote from Frobisher I found as I was re-reading his story, (view spoiler)[immediately following an accreditation spat with V.A. leading to the divorce (hide spoiler)]: "You know, having the roof over one's head dependent upon the good offices of an employer is a loathsome way to live. Christ only knows how the serving classes stand it. Are the Frobishery domestics forever biting their tongues as I must? one wonders."

There's also the post-war themes, which I really liked. He was defiant against Ayers, but also against a society that had bombed itself to pieces, fallen into a global depression and was gearing up to bomb itself to pieces again.
Frobisher's story reminded me of books like The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises. These book feature members of the idle rich who are vain, shallow, witty, and ironic, but who are on closer inspection laughing to keep from realizing they are dead inside. Frobisher was the same, but (view spoiler)[ in the process of creating his greatest work he realized he had nothing to live for, thus his suicide. (hide spoiler)]

Also, (view spoiler)[ There was the unyielding sacrifice for the greater truth - in his case it was his symphony. He did not care if he died as long as he got it out there (hide spoiler)]

to be free at all costs?
i think that might work with the "slavery" theme of the other stories.