Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Ship That Sang
I already love Helva's spirit!!! I think Helva is this ship who is spooky smart and great at everything she does but there is so much more to her than that. The reason I say this is because from the beginning of the book you see how Helva looks at things just alittle differently than others in her position. Helva pays more attention to what is going on around her emotionally. Helva's curiosity and determination is what helps her learn how to sing. I really feel that Helva knows she has a job to do, she knows she is a ship and very strong but she wants people who fly with her on missions to treat her in a very humanistic way. Helva has such personality and really wants the people who fly with her to not just see her as a nice top of the line brain ship but as a person as well. I love how she is constantly assessing who comes abboard and whether she thinks they have good character or not. You really get the impression from early on that Helva wants to love and be loved and cherished. I also notice that because she is a female brain ship generally people are startled by just how sharp she is and they question her abilities as a ship. They ask Helva if she can perform tasks that they know any brainship could carry out maybe thinking initially that her ship will be weaker just because it's the singing ship with a female brain.
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She does seem more human even than most of the human's that enter her ship! She is very in touch with her emotions, obviously from the death she experienced, but even before this event when she appriciates that Jennan looks at her when he speaks to her. I think Jennan really helped her realize that she is more than just a ship and made a huge impact on her life. I also love how she analyzes every character. This was a great way for McCaffrey to not just tell us but show us who the characters are using Helva's eyes or her camera or whatever she sees with. I also love how at the end of every encounter with a new shipmate she leaves them with new insight and impacts their lives greatly in some shape or form. She really cares about these people and is not just along for the ride or just driving the ship. She let's everyone she meets know she is more than just a machine.
ReplyDeleteYou both make good points! It's easy to get caught up Helva's alieness because she is the ship, but, as you both point out, she is intensely human -- esp. her curiosity and sarcasm;-)
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