Philosophy of Vimes...What a guy!
- Thread starter mutantfinger
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Thats why you find tank pics in the wedding thread or .. or.. or.. nevermind.. too many to list.
Do we know much about Vimes's dad? I seem to remember mention of his childhood, whitewashed walls outside because even if you couldn't afford food, you still needed to keep up appearances. And that his dad died fairly early on. But how are his own childhood experiences shaping how he wants to be as a father? forgive me if this was already covered in thud!, been a while since i read it... 
re: vimes' father
IMO, in NW, there's a hint that sams father didn't exactly die, i think the quote says something along the lines that vimes asks young sam about his father, and sam says that his mother told him that his father was run over, and vimes thinks "that's what she wants you to think. what a champion liar his mother had been, too."
another thought, a quite critical one, at that. while i absolutely love vimes and he is my favourite character in all the books, one thing that always bothered me was the scene in the unmentionables' watchhouse where they find the people in the cells and vimes "...drew his dagger and without remorse gave...what help he could." how does one justify that?
IMO, in NW, there's a hint that sams father didn't exactly die, i think the quote says something along the lines that vimes asks young sam about his father, and sam says that his mother told him that his father was run over, and vimes thinks "that's what she wants you to think. what a champion liar his mother had been, too."
another thought, a quite critical one, at that. while i absolutely love vimes and he is my favourite character in all the books, one thing that always bothered me was the scene in the unmentionables' watchhouse where they find the people in the cells and vimes "...drew his dagger and without remorse gave...what help he could." how does one justify that?
Vimes is a bit like Granny - he's not a 'nice' person, but he is a 'good' person. I'm trying to remember that exact passage and I think the suggestion is that some of the prisoners where so badly tortured as to be already almost dead. Certainly beyond medical help and probably in a lot of pain. Vimes may have helped them to die as a mercy, but as I say, I can't remember the exact bit.
Vimes would also kill one of the torturers without too much remorse. He knows that sometimes you have to make your own justice. These people might never be punished for their awful crimes, so Vimes might make sure they never commit such crimes again.
It's one of the reasons why Vimes is a much more interesting character than Carrot. Carrot would never do such things, he doesn't have a dark side like Vimes does.
Vimes would also kill one of the torturers without too much remorse. He knows that sometimes you have to make your own justice. These people might never be punished for their awful crimes, so Vimes might make sure they never commit such crimes again.
It's one of the reasons why Vimes is a much more interesting character than Carrot. Carrot would never do such things, he doesn't have a dark side like Vimes does.
my thoughts exactly. goes together with the reason why vimes won't visit young sams mom - he probably looks exactly like his own dad these- those days
about the vimes justice, i'm thinking the same what tony wrote, that you have to deal out your own justice. it's just that that standard he holds up for himself (do it once for a good reason and you'll do it again for a bad reason) leaves a bad taste, somehow. i remember there being a big (really, like HUGE!) discussion in some other forum, with excellent arguments for each side of doing or don'ting it. what a can of worms...
about the vimes justice, i'm thinking the same what tony wrote, that you have to deal out your own justice. it's just that that standard he holds up for himself (do it once for a good reason and you'll do it again for a bad reason) leaves a bad taste, somehow. i remember there being a big (really, like HUGE!) discussion in some other forum, with excellent arguments for each side of doing or don'ting it. what a can of worms...
Tonyblack said:
Carrot would never do such things, he doesn't have a dark side like Vimes does.
Carrot has a certain quality that makes things happen and that makes people do things they wouldn't normally do. He would never have let the torturers run off scot-free without punishment for their crimes. I think he would have sat on them or on someone or manipulated someone in his very Carrot-way until something happened and they received due recourse for their crimes.
We don't really know what goes on behind that steel barrier in Carrot's mind. He is a good guy but what if suddenly the Patrician (whomsoever it is at the time, Carrot is a young man. Would Vetinari live forever? ) did something to/for Ankh-Morpork that he didnlt like? Would we then see the 'other side' of Carrot, that resembled Lorenzo the Kind (except the children ofcourse )?
Carrot is not as green as he is cabbage looking!
)?Carrot is not as green as he is cabbage looking!
meerkat said:
shegallivants said:
Actually I think he'd make a bloody fine Patrician, if he wasn't probably totally and utterly opposed to the idea.
Possibly One Man One Vote will be abolished? And Vetinari will be collectively replaced by Vimes, Carrot and I dunno- Moist?
Vimes and Vetinari aren't too far apart in age though, are they? In Night Watch, Vetinari is a student at the Guild when Vimes is a young copper. So we might be looking for replacements for both of them!
whoo hooo happy days!
wow, I can't believe I've been a devoted Pratchett fan for erm... my whole life and not ever considered looking for a forum! thank the gods for the internet!
*I've suddenly become conscious about using more than 4 exclamation marks and making sure I spell words with ie in them correctly*
I had a Vimes binge this weekend but read the books from newest to oldest and I was struck by how much Vimes has developed as a character. Also in Feet of Clay Vetinari claims at the end of the book that he, in a sense, created Vimes, which is really cool given that Vimes actually creates Vimes in Night Watch and Vetinari saves him/Keel at the end and admits to always wondering about the real Keel's cold body. Almost like standing between two mirrors and seeing the back of your own head.
wow, I can't believe I've been a devoted Pratchett fan for erm... my whole life and not ever considered looking for a forum! thank the gods for the internet!
*I've suddenly become conscious about using more than 4 exclamation marks and making sure I spell words with ie in them correctly*
I had a Vimes binge this weekend but read the books from newest to oldest and I was struck by how much Vimes has developed as a character. Also in Feet of Clay Vetinari claims at the end of the book that he, in a sense, created Vimes, which is really cool given that Vimes actually creates Vimes in Night Watch and Vetinari saves him/Keel at the end and admits to always wondering about the real Keel's cold body. Almost like standing between two mirrors and seeing the back of your own head.
