Past Mater: The First Trinity

The more I think about Past Master, the clearer I see how Lafferty is playing with groups of three. Today I spent some time tracing out (for my notes on the book) the arcs of Cosmos Kingmaker ("The Heraldic Lion"), Peter Proctor ("The Sleek Fox"), and Fabian Foreman ("The Worried Hawk"). This assemblage is a distorted echo of the Holy Trinity. Cosmos, as a distant and symbolic kingmaker, parallels a withdrawn, benighted Father. Fabian, a hesitant strategist rather than a decisive Logos, presents a troubled Son (we are told he is the youngest of the three; he tarries = Fabian tactics). Peter, a cunning and lucky trickster, inverts the watchful and guiding role of the Spirit (Proctor). Together, they form a fractured divine pattern—each bearing an inadequate resemblance to their prototypes. The implication is that on Astrobe order has been corrupted. Peter’s speed of motion and Fabian’s “I want a death and resurrection of the thing” as well as his use of the mustard seed parable are relevant here (his body is hung on a tree). Foreman is obviously a pun. To see how deep this goes as a structural device, just do a search and look at everything that happens to Fabian Foreman. The novel starts to open up in a new way.