The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
How the hell did Blood on his Soul survive being mulched to a pulp
Mira:
--- Quote from: morriswalters on April 18, 2022, 12:36:20 PM ---When is dead, dead, in the Dresden Files? I can write any number of scenarios that work. But what was the point of killing him if you are just going to resurrect him?
Death loses its gravitas if it is never, really final. Murphy got killed. Butcher uses it for the emotional punch. And then he resurrects her. The whole scene with Rudolph turns out to be about Harry losing his shit because Rudolph made his girlfriend go away. Not because she died, because, well, she didn't.
--- End quote ---
No, she is dead, what comes back if she does, won't be Murphy.. Look like her maybe, but not her.
Arjan:
She is where her soul is. At the moment that is walhalla.
CrusherJen:
--- Quote from: morriswalters on April 18, 2022, 12:36:20 PM ---Murphy got killed. Butcher uses it for the emotional punch. And then he resurrects her. The whole scene with Rudolph turns out to be about Harry losing his shit because Rudolph made his girlfriend go away. Not because she died, because, well, she didn't.
--- End quote ---
To be fair, at that point in the story when Harry loses it, he had no idea Karrin would be Chosen. As far as he knew in that moment, she was D-E-D, dead. So Harry's Roaring Rampage of Revenge really was about her dying, not just "going away." He (and the readers) don't know better until pretty much the end of the novel. It may change the perception of the act in retrospect, but not the initial motivation for it... if you catch my drift.
Yeah, I know it's a tiny point to quibble over, but I think the nuance is important. We're supposed to see Harry stumble in a moment of extreme strain, when he's experiencing one of his worst losses in the series so far. He loses love, he loses faith, he loses hope; all that's left is pain and hate, until he gets a wake-up call from Butters' Sword. I think we're meant to take that seriously, as a warning of what Harry could become if he steps off the "path of Good." I don't think that really changes when we learn things weren't exactly as dire as Harry thought they were at that point.
Does it cheapen death as a threat in the series when Murphy isn't really D-E-D dead? Well... kind of, yes, depending on the reader's perspective. Coming back from the dead isn't unusual in fantasy works. We've seen Harry do it, more or less; we also got enough hints sprinkled through the narrative foreshadowing the concept (Murphy as an avenging angel in Dresden's Sight; her training with the Einherjar; her call sign "Valkyrie") that this wasn't a total shock. I'm kind of neutral on it until I see what Butcher does with this set-up. I have a feeling we're just about out of get-out-of-Death-free cards, this close to the Endgame... and the next heroic deaths are going to hurt that much more because of it. But as always, YMMV.
Conspiracy Theorist:
WOJ has it that Odin has access to soul fire (exclusively the gift of the White God) and it is used to make Einenjharen.
This suggests that the Einenjharen are not like zombies or Blamps, their resurrection is genuine within certain limitations i.e. living memory and living only so long as Odin does (they all die with Odin at Ragnarok).
This means Harry will get to see Murphy die again.
However HARRY has soul fire and is destined to break all the Laws of Magic so Harry might give Murphy a second resurrection and she will then live as long as Harry.
morriswalters:
--- Quote from: CrusherJen on April 19, 2022, 03:57:25 PM ---To be fair, at that point in the story when Harry loses it, he had no idea Karrin would be Chosen. As far as he knew in that moment, she was D-E-D, dead. So Harry's Roaring Rampage of Revenge really was about her dying, not just "going away." (click to show/hide)He (and the readers) don't know better until pretty much the end of the novel. It may change the perception of the act in retrospect, but not the initial motivation for it... if you catch my drift.
Yeah, I know it's a tiny point to quibble over, but I think the nuance is important. We're supposed to see Harry stumble in a moment of extreme strain, when he's experiencing one of his worst losses in the series so far. He loses love, he loses faith, he loses hope; all that's left is pain and hate, until he gets a wake-up call from Butters' Sword. I think we're meant to take that seriously, as a warning of what Harry could become if he steps off the "path of Good." I don't think that really changes when we learn things weren't exactly as dire as Harry thought they were at that point.
Does it cheapen death as a threat in the series when Murphy isn't really D-E-D dead? Well... kind of, yes, depending on the reader's perspective. Coming back from the dead isn't unusual in fantasy works. We've seen Harry do it, more or less; we also got enough hints sprinkled through the narrative foreshadowing the concept (Murphy as an avenging angel in Dresden's Sight; her training with the Einherjar; her call sign "Valkyrie") that this wasn't a total shock. I'm kind of neutral on it until I see what Butcher does with this set-up. I have a feeling we're just about out of get-out-of-Death-free cards, this close to the Endgame... and the next heroic deaths are going to hurt that much more because of it. But as always, YMMV.
--- End quote ---
Murphy needed to die. If or no other reason then that time is creeping for Harry and zooming for her. But he couldn't just kill her and let it have the weight it deserved. And he's going to milk it going forward for emotions that I won't bring to the table because of what I know as a reader.
I even think I know narrative purpose behind it. Remember the sword can only act against evil, not just rage. And when it burned him it smelled of brimstone.
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