SPOILERS Going Postal Discussion *Spoilers*
- Thread starter Tonyblack
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The progression is fairly direct. First he is upset to realize that he has hurt someone he cares about, then he wants to provide some form of recompense, then he wants to prevent potential losses by people who have come to trust him. He also goes from being the sort of person who would want to learn Gilt's methods to wanting to prove he isn't exactly like Gilt. Without going back to scour the books again, I'm not quite certain that Moist has gotten to the point where he wants to prevent harm even to people he doesn't know, but I think he has, because of his motivation (in MM) for leading Cosmo into the sunlight.
I think the key scene in Moist's transformation is the restaurant scene where he meets Gilt for the first time. Until that point, he's mostly playing the grifter's role in a legitimate setting, and his one-upmanship games with Gilt are more about ego than morality. But when he looks into Gilt's eye and see that Gilt has achieved his mastery of the game by abandoning any sense of morality (which Moist hasn't done; he doesn't fleece the poor), he realizes that becoming someone like Gilt is a path he can't no longer take--there's too much 'good' in him to succeed. He's not adverse to using Gilt's methods; he simply no longer is willing to do this solely for the joy of the game. Remember that this scene occurs before he learns that his actions resulted in Adorable's firing; he's already embarked on a new path; the fire at the post office, Grout's maiming, and his learning of Adorabelle's trigger the emotions of anger, guilt and righteous revenge that lead him to his final actions.
Yes, that was the beginning of his major drive to defeat Gilt. Moist had already learned that he was the reason her family lost the Clacks; if I recall correctly, the dinner was part of the hand-delivering of his letter to her. He felt the fire, which showed that he was actually linked to the post office by then. He was still playing the role when he rescued Groat and the cat, but that itself shows that his adrenaline addiction was part of a role-playing addiction. I think the role became real when he realized that the postmen were betting their life's savings on him, and he wasn't thinking only in terms of the role, he was thinking only in terms of wanting to find a way to win, not just to destroy Gilt or make up with Adorabelle, but also to prevent financial ruin for the postmen (and other people betting on him).
Hi All, just finished Going Postal last night, another fantastic read, already moved onto Making Money! Lots of very good laughs, and when Archchancellor Ridcully and co. were communicating with Devious Collabone through the Omniscope (towards the end), and Ridcully Booms "Its still not working Mr Stibbons! Here's that damn enormous fiery eye again!", does anyone else think that's a nod from Sir Terry to Lord of the rings? The all seeing eye? I'd like to thinks so! What a sense of humor in the man, I actually did laugh out loud at that! 
Yep, I think there isn’t a thing that Pratchett hasn’t ironized about it already, including novels and famous stories. Sometimes you have to be on alert because some criticisms can be as brief and as sharp as a dagger coming out from an assassin’s robe. In “Men at arms” it’s the turn of Narnia (he didn’t even say its name but you know he's referring to it when mentioning a closet), and he also compromises the legendary story of King Arthur and his sword.
Currently, I have pending reading "Going Postal" again. I really think Pratchett’s books need to be relished more than once to appreciate all its colours.
Mx
Currently, I have pending reading "Going Postal" again. I really think Pratchett’s books need to be relished more than once to appreciate all its colours.
Mx
Well, I kept my word and read “Going postal” again and… Wow! Love it!!! :happy-smileygiantred:
Reading things like this I almost blushed:
How can Pratchett be so brazen? Amazing!
It’s like: your calmly reading and suddenly… Your eyes have to stop and move backwards to the previous “apparently innocent looking” sentence and I feel like “Hold on, hold on… What the…? Did he really write this? Wow!”
And not just the governments are struck but all our society:
Pratchett masterfully talks about human nature and the monopoly of big companies among others, makes you fell in love with characters like Moist and take off your hat to characters like Vetinari.ray:
Simply amazing. Funny and so intelligent.
I’m not surprised that when published, it was the most sold hard cover book in Great Britain.
Incidentally, have you seen its movie? Would you recommend it to me?
Mx
Reading things like this I almost blushed:
How can Pratchett be so brazen? Amazing!
It’s like: your calmly reading and suddenly… Your eyes have to stop and move backwards to the previous “apparently innocent looking” sentence and I feel like “Hold on, hold on… What the…? Did he really write this? Wow!”
And not just the governments are struck but all our society:
Pratchett masterfully talks about human nature and the monopoly of big companies among others, makes you fell in love with characters like Moist and take off your hat to characters like Vetinari.
ray: Simply amazing. Funny and so intelligent.
I’m not surprised that when published, it was the most sold hard cover book in Great Britain.
Incidentally, have you seen its movie? Would you recommend it to me?
Mx
I'd personally stick with the book. I am not a fan of the TV adaptations of the Discworld Books.
As to the humour at pointing out how crooked the government is and how cynical voters are about the people they vote into power - well that's certainly a very British thing. We vote, we moan, we vote the same crooks in again and continue to moan.
As to the humour at pointing out how crooked the government is and how cynical voters are about the people they vote into power - well that's certainly a very British thing. We vote, we moan, we vote the same crooks in again and continue to moan.
Mixa! I personally like the films, Hogfather being my favorite, but Going Postal is good it's well worth watching for the way the characters are played out I have all the DVD's that's how much I like them, OK C.O.M. was not that great, but good in parts, for me it was spoiled by a miscast of David Jason as Rincewind.
Couldn't agree more wee Dug! I enjoy David Jason's other roles, especially Del Boy, Obviously!!! But he just seemed too old to play Rincewind, - I imagine Rincewind to be tall, scrawny, cowardly and young, maybe someone more like shaggy from Scooby doo?! Not sure if I've already read that comparison somewhere before, or if its the way I imagine him being because of the way Paul Kidby draws him?! Should have got Rodney to play rincewind!!
He pretty much got kicked out of UU as a student and didn't actually become a qualified wizard in the first books. There's also no mention of him wearing a hat in the first two books. Spoiler for Colour of Magic:
When he and Twoflower appear on the aeroplane, his age is stated as being "Dr Rjinswand, 33" - presumably he is the same age in his own world as that one. David Jason may be many things, but he is not 33.
