Eric and Jen: Two Different Personality Types

I have been working with Mystimus “digging” deeper in Ship of Theseus to find new clues to the themes that are hiding in plain sight.  His post on Birds of Negative Space made me begin to take a longer look at what I like to call the “margin conversation.”  It has been interesting what I have noticed.  One such find was a note on page 220 by Eric that read, “REALLY WISH WE HAD THAT PHOTO…”  This led to a close examination of the Havana photos and some discoveries about which Mystimus recently blogged.  Francisco Carvalho @uriaalge who authors the blog, http://searchingsbook.blogspot.pt/  found more evidence on the Havana photos which he commented about on Mystimus’ blog post. This collaboration-readers working together- is very similar to Eric and Jen.  There are others, believe me, which you will be reading about in the coming weeks as Mystimus and I prove and refine them.

This adventure back through Eric and Jen’s conversation has given me a new perspective on the two characters. On page xi of the forward, Jen asks if she should read Painted Cave which Eric had underlined in pencil. Eric replies, “NO,. GO BACK TO BRAXENHOLM (THE FIRST) AND WORK CHRONOLOGICALLY.”  Then on Pg. xiv Jen writes, “This phrase is in Coriolis(p.464). And in Winged Shoes(p. 268). Eric replies, “HOW HAVE YOU HAD TIME TO READ ALL OF THIS?” Jen says, “Recently dumped, senoritis, etc.” Eric then says, “YOU’RE NOT READING THEM IN ORDER.” Jen then retorts, “Never been much for following directions.”

These interactions between the two characters are very telling.  Eric has a concrete sequential personality type. He is all about reading novels from first to last and beginning to end.  For Eric, it is impossible to think about reading VMS novels out of order.

On the other hand there is Jen.  She has an abstract-random personality type.  To read the novels out of order is not a big deal to her.  She makes connections and brings them to light in the margins.

These two characters work brilliantly together.  Eric teaches her in the margins to think in a sequential manner to find stability when she gets panicked. Jen teaches Eric through the margins to be spontaneous and think out of the box.  It is her randomness that has discovered the answers to the ciphers.  Remember, Ship of Theseus had been in the hands and mind of Eric since high school (14-15 years)[pg. vi], yet with Jen’s assistance, Eric has a better understanding of VMS/FXC and the story contained within the pages of Ship of Theseus.  Together, they share that story with us within their conversations in the margins-the negative space. As Mystimus wrote,

“The story of Ship of Theseus and the story told by Eric and Jen in the marginalia seems at first glance to be tragically incomplete. We seem to be left with so many unanswered questions. But we are not – all the answers we seek are there in front of us. We just have to shift our focus onto the negative space.”

Take a deeper look at the margin conversation.  Work with Mystimus and I or find another S fan to “dig” deeper together…You will be surprised by what you might have missed!

It’s Freezing in Ship of Theseus

Having completed reading S or Ship of Theseus, I have been helping Mystimus research themes, clues hidden in plain sight, etc. While flipping through chapter 10 reviewing the marginal story between Jen and Eric, I noticed something that I’d missed previously.

On page 447, two words in the text, “he freezes” are circled in black. Out in the margin of the same page in Jen’s cursive handwriting is, “OK, seriously. It’s freezing in here.”  Eric replies in his capital block letter form, “YOU JUST WALKED PAST THE THERMOSTAT!” Jen then retorts, “SO DID you!” which is the followed by [ . .]   [ . . ]  One thing I have observed throughout the marginal story of Eric and Jen is that when the “rolling eyes” show up, readers should pay close attention.

So why is this significant?  Eric was a graduate lit student.  Word usage is his forte.  Although the word ‘past’ is acceptable usage in this case, he writes the word, “PAST” meaning  “having existed in, or having occurred during a time previous to the present.” This use of the word got me to thinking.  Was this intentional on the part of Eric?  Was this a play on words or words with double meanings by the authors J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst?

I looked up the word ‘thermostat‘ to discover its history. One of the earliest recorded use of a thermostat was in 1620 by Cornelius Drebbel. He invented a mercury thermostat to regulate the temperature for baby chicks.  If you are familiar with Ship of Theseus, you will certainly see the word mercury and think of ‘winged shoes‘.

One other interesting fact tied to Drebbel is that he invented the first submarine in 1620. He completed his third and final model which stayed submerged for three hours and could travel from Westminster to Greenwich and back.

“What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.”  Hopefully, you won’t freeze!

Follow the Monkey…Through the Work of JJ Abrams

On page 352 of S, Anca tells S to “Follow the monkey.”   Jen Heyward circles the phrase and adds a comment, “Sound advice.”  I believe this ‘sound advice’ can be followed through many, if not all of the works of JJ Abrams.

Let’s begin with Felicity (1998–2002) which was JJ Abrams first TV series.  In 3.3 Hello, I Must be Going, Felicity wakes up next to Ben and is clearly upset.

The following dialog ensues:

Ben :What ?

Felicity : I just had this dream.

Ben : What happened?

Felicity: You were wearing a suit and I had this really long dress on and as we were going up the escalator it got caught and I was pulling on it and you were pulling on it and then all of a sudden we were being attacked by these like rabid monkeys?

(Ben laughs)

Felicity: It wasn’t funny, it was scary and you didn’t protect me very well.

Ben: Oh, so are you mad at me for something I didn’t do in your dream ? O.k. I promise that the next time we get attacked by monkeys on an escalator, I will save you.

Felicity: You better.

Ben: I promise.

Felicity: You better.

Was it a coincidence that in 2000, JJ Abrams chose to use monkeys as a sort of motif early in his career.  I would suggest that this is not the case or at the very least, it became an ongoing motif across his many varied projects.

Let’s move ahead several years to Alias (2001–2006).  I must credit An Alias Fan @Alias_Geek for the help in finding this particular scene.  In Alias 4.18 The Mirage, Jack Bristow visits a lab. Upon entering there are two Capuchin monkeys in a cage.

Jack walks by the cage and says, “cute.”   The gentleman working in the secret lab says, “Listen, I need you to promise me that there is no way this gonna get traced back to me.”  Jack later says, “Curious morality coming from a guy who kills monkeys for a living.”  The man in the lab replies,”What I am saying is be conservative. A few cc’s at a time or you’re going to be out of fun before it begins.” Jack then says, “Thanks for the advice.”

In Alias 1.11,  Jack, Sloane, Dixon, Marshall and Sydney are in the SD-6 Conference Room.  Marshall is asked by Sloane to go over the needed Op Tech for the next mission.

MARSHALL: Thank you. Um… actually, did anyone see that documentary on-on monkeys last night? Oh, it was great. They did this… sign… I guess… no one saw that.

Wasn’t the ‘sign’ that led S. to his objective a carved face of a monkey? Was this purposeful?  Did JJ Abrams who actually wrote this episode have this in mind when S/Ship of Theseus was conceived?

Again, coincidence?  If it is just a coincidence, then how would the subject of monkeys come up in four separate instances, in three different projects?  Why would Jack in Alias use the same word ‘advice‘ and  Marshall use the word ‘sign’ in relation to monkeys?

Moving ahead to Lost.  In 1.1 The Pilot, the Losties have heard a noise in the jungle and are discussing what it could have been. The following dialog takes place:

MICHAEL: It didn’t sound like an animal. Not exactly, I mean.

ROSE: That sound that it made, I keep thinking that there was something really familiar about it.

SHANNON: Really? Where are you from?

ROSE: The Bronx.

CHARLIE: Might be monkeys. It’s monkeys, right?

SAWYER: Sure it’s monkeys. It’s Monkey Island.

Interestingly enough, there were no monkeys on Lost, yet Sawyer calls the island, “Monkey Island.”

Let’s continue to ‘follow the monkey’ through Fringe (2008–2013).  In 1.1  “Pilot”, a screen shot was noticed in front of Massive Dynamics.

In this shot, you will note the glowingmonkeys.com bumper sticker on the post. The glowingmonkeys website.  The site was registered in June of 2008.  According to Fringetelevision, there were 237 posts to the website all concerning Fringe science.

It was speculated that a Fringe writer ran this website.  Take note that the readers were to send links, comments and questions to Capuchin and Howler, both mentioned in S a novel by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.

Glowing Monkeys went so far to post the screen shot from Fringe on the site:

Move ahead to season Fringe 3.13 “Subject 13” where a monkey’s howl causes a main character to fall through floor in a warehouse and onto a table where she makes a discovery.

Again I ask, coincidence?  You decide…Follow the monkey.

Munitions, Shoes and Pencils…Are These Connected?

Mystimus and I have both been bantering back and forth about JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst’s novel S. which they aptly call, “a love letter to the written word.”  We have been discussing and ruminating over this stroke of genius for well over 6 months now. As I read the book chapter by chapter, I would detail for him what I would see within the 457 pages.  There were many things that I would point out that I happened to see and found that Mystimus had already blogged about them.  Ever so often, I would actually make a connection that was overlooked.

In early December, I actually finished reading the entire novel and Mystimus shared his voluminous notes that he had collected on the book.  This began a quest.  A quest to understand the deeper truths, hidden meaning and uncover the symbolism that runs throughout the story.  Luckily, I am blessed to have Mystimus as a fellow traveler and guide as we journey into the depths of S.

By now you are probably asking yourself, “What does this have to do with munitions, shoes and pencils?”  I was reading back through the marginal notes left by Eric and Jen and making new connections to the story.  On page 75 FN 4 there is the following:

Jen asks the question of why FXC would emphasize the confusion of exactly where Vaclav Straka was employed.  This set the wheels in motion.  Is there a connection here among the various industries listed?

The answer to the question is an emphatic, YES!  The footnote stated that Straka might have worked in a munitions factory, a ladies’ shoe factory or a pencil factory. What is the commonality among each of these things?  Graphite…

Prior to 1565, graphite was used to mark sheep.  It was soon discovered that graphite could also be used to in making bomb shells, cannon balls, and round shot. There was actually a munitions factory in Prague at the time Vaclav could have worked there.

Obviously, what is commonly referred to as “pencil lead” is actually a graphite and clay mix. Koh-i-Noor Hardmudth is one of the largest producers of office supplies in located in Budweis, Czech Republic.  In 1802, they patented the leads from graphite and clay.

The final factory is a little more hidden. I began looking for a Czech shoe brand and came up with Bata. There is actually a Bata shoe store in Wenceslas Square in Prague. This did not tie in with the graphite concept.  I began looking for shoes in general and came across the sabot.  A sabot is a wooden shoe from France or surrounding countries such as Belgium. Interestingly enough, the word sabotage is derived from sabot. Sabotage is the action of disgruntled factory workers who throw their sabots(shoes) into the machinery in a factory.

Knowing that Abrams loves a play on words, I found another meaning for the word sabot. A sabot  is a device that allows a projectile of a smaller caliber to be fired from a weapon of a larger caliber by filling the weapon’s bore and keeping the projectile centered. The sabot normally separates and falls away from the projectile a short distance from the muzzle of the weapon. 

Where to begin…At the water?

“What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.”

In my previous post, I mentioned Mystimus and his influence on my thinking when I read or watch anything JJ Abrams creates.  Back in July of 2013, Mystimus once again peaked by interest in a book he was reading written by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.  My first thought was, “JJ Abrams co-authoring a book…You have got to be kidding!”

After a long drawn out stint with Lost, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a book of fiction co-authored by the genius story-teller.  Sure, I loved his all TV series and movies, but a novel?!  Knowing that nothing in a JJ Abrams’ project is ever just a coincidence, I knew that S would be no exception.

I put off the idea of reading the novel knowing the time commitment that such an undertaking would involve.  Mystimus was persistent.  He gave me his hardbound copy of the book including all the inserts and once again, I was hooked.

At the time, I was watching Fringe another JJ Abrams TV Series.  As I began to read S, I began to notice similarities between the novel and Fringe.  In fact, it wasn’t long before I saw common themes in many of JJ Abrams projects.  Water was the first connection that I made.

In Fringe, water was a consistent element throughout the show.  Reiden Lake was the “zero event” that set off a chain of events that culminated in the series Fringe. The subsequent events and action in Fringe literally began at the water.

I would theorize that “What begins in the water shall end there and what ends there shall once more begin” applies not just to S but to every Abrams’ project that he has co-created and co-written.

Mystimus…My Venture Into the Mystery and Work of JJ Abrams

I remember the advertisements and teasers on ABC about this television series called Lost.  At the time, I thought I might watch it.  The pilot episode date rolled around and I forgot all about it. Later, I saw that I had missed the pilot and actually tried to get interested in the second or third episode, but it just wasn’t happening.  After that, I forgot about it completely and missed the entire two seasons.

Enter my friend, Mystimus, otherwise known as Brian Shipman.  He told me that he and his wife were watching this amazing show on ABC called Lost.  As he began to describe it, the show peaked my curiosity.  Brian is an author.  In fact, he is by far my favorite author.  He is brilliant, witty and and all-around fun guy to hang out with.  We ended up watching the pilot episode together and I must say, I was SOLD!  I actually ended up becoming obsessed with the series.  So much so that over that Summer, I watched the entire first 2 seasons so that I could catch up with Brian and talk intelligently about our favorite show.

Prior to Lost, I was the type to take stories at face value.  I love symbolism, but when watching a movie or television show, I simply would turn off my thoughts and become completely engrossed in the story.  Lost changed that for me. As I ventured farther into the series, I had questions.  Each episode would answer some and leave me with a dozen others.

I tried to quiz Brian to no avail.  He is not one to spoil a show for anyone.  He would give me just enough to make me “dig” to understand.  I learned from him how to approach the show. Brian watches, he sits back, he ruminates about it, he researches it, he makes connections, then he writes.  Wow, does he ever write!

One day, he called me to tell me that he had discovered a TED Talk by JJ Abrams. The presentation was on “The Mystery Box.”  It was here that I came to appreciate the genius of JJ Abrams.  Through Brian’s tutelage, I began to search for “things hidden in plain sight.”  I came to understand that Abrams was all about the mystery and hiding the obvious right under your nose.

This became an incredible experience for us both.  We began to share our ideas about the symbols in the series. Slowly what developed over time, was a complex theory of the meaning behind Lost.

I never saw another work of fiction, whether in print or in theater the same.  I now began to look for hidden meaning and hidden truths within every story I encountered. Once you find yourself in a work by JJ  Abrams, you cannot help but to do so.

I can say to this day that I am still that way.  Over the course of future posts on this blog, I hope to tie together what I see as some connections or themes that seem to run throughout the work of JJ Abrams.  I trust that if you happen upon this blog that you too will add to the growing list of connections.