Post by bgb16999 on Nov 10, 2016 4:31:19 GMT
The following is some spitballing about Anthony's motivations. More specifically, what leverage is the Court using to keep Anthony in place?
When I first read chapter 53 (just last week for me, since I read the whole thing for the first time last week), my first impression was that the Court had withheld a lot of information from Tony about what they were supposedly going to do to Antimony. In particular, I think he did not realize that Annie was the forest medium. They told him she was going into the forest (which Anthony knows is normally against school rules), but not that she was actually allowed to go. Had the Court expelled Annie right before graduation, then, as far as Anthony knew, Annie would have been forced out into the muggle world as a homeless high school dropout with an uncertain future. If that were the case, I could see Anthony's decision to return as a genuine act of love for his daughter.
However, we know, and the Court knows, that expelling Annie is an empty threat. Were the Court to expel her, it would be a loss for them on pretty much every level. Annie would go live in the forest full time, and the Court would lose what control over her they still have. Annie would still get to see Kat and the others by virtue of being the forest medium. Also, Reynardine might decide to go live in the forest with Annie instead of staying in the Court with Kat. The Court seems particularly afraid of Rey "escaping" to the forest. They could try to physically stop him, but whether they could stop Reynard from escaping when he is aided by both Annie and Kat is a crapshoot, and the Court knows it. If Coyote ever decides to retire Annie from the position of Forest Medium, she can still find work as an afterlife guide, and visit Kat and co every time someone steps on a bug.
Hence, there is a flaw in my conjecture that Anthony was just looking out for Annie's well-being: now that he is back at the Court, Anthony knows the threat was empty too. Okay, maybe he doesn't know about Annie's potential career as an afterlife guide. But he knows she has a place in the world outside the Court. Which brings us back to the original question. Now that Anthony is back at the Court and knows more about Annie's situation, what incentive does Anthony have to remain?
One possibility is that they can threaten to expel someone else Tony cares about. I don't think this scenario is all that likely, though. The only other people at the Court Anthony has been shown to care about at all are Anja and Donald. If Anthony were only concerned about their well-being, he might not be compelled by the threat of the Donlans getting kicked out. If forced into the muggle world, Anja could easily support her family with a career in computer science. As could Kat, for that matter. They might even be happier without being constantly manipulated by the Court.
Also, the Court's primary means of influencing Annie is by manipulating other people she cares about. Removing two of the people closest to Annie from the picture would reduce the Court's ability to control Annie. And they know it.
Hence, I believe that there are two main reasons Anthony might still be in the Court, and either or both could be true. The first of these reasons is mental inertia. When he was away, he felt like he didn't want to come back. But now that he is at the Court, leaving requires more mental energy than staying in the same situation he is already in.
The second reason is that he wants more than merely keeping Annie and himself safe. Whatever Coyote meant by "Man's effort to become God," Tony wants in on it. And he wants Annie in on it with him. This possibility is one in which I would have considerably less sympathy for Tony than I would otherwise.
When I first read chapter 53 (just last week for me, since I read the whole thing for the first time last week), my first impression was that the Court had withheld a lot of information from Tony about what they were supposedly going to do to Antimony. In particular, I think he did not realize that Annie was the forest medium. They told him she was going into the forest (which Anthony knows is normally against school rules), but not that she was actually allowed to go. Had the Court expelled Annie right before graduation, then, as far as Anthony knew, Annie would have been forced out into the muggle world as a homeless high school dropout with an uncertain future. If that were the case, I could see Anthony's decision to return as a genuine act of love for his daughter.
However, we know, and the Court knows, that expelling Annie is an empty threat. Were the Court to expel her, it would be a loss for them on pretty much every level. Annie would go live in the forest full time, and the Court would lose what control over her they still have. Annie would still get to see Kat and the others by virtue of being the forest medium. Also, Reynardine might decide to go live in the forest with Annie instead of staying in the Court with Kat. The Court seems particularly afraid of Rey "escaping" to the forest. They could try to physically stop him, but whether they could stop Reynard from escaping when he is aided by both Annie and Kat is a crapshoot, and the Court knows it. If Coyote ever decides to retire Annie from the position of Forest Medium, she can still find work as an afterlife guide, and visit Kat and co every time someone steps on a bug.
Hence, there is a flaw in my conjecture that Anthony was just looking out for Annie's well-being: now that he is back at the Court, Anthony knows the threat was empty too. Okay, maybe he doesn't know about Annie's potential career as an afterlife guide. But he knows she has a place in the world outside the Court. Which brings us back to the original question. Now that Anthony is back at the Court and knows more about Annie's situation, what incentive does Anthony have to remain?
One possibility is that they can threaten to expel someone else Tony cares about. I don't think this scenario is all that likely, though. The only other people at the Court Anthony has been shown to care about at all are Anja and Donald. If Anthony were only concerned about their well-being, he might not be compelled by the threat of the Donlans getting kicked out. If forced into the muggle world, Anja could easily support her family with a career in computer science. As could Kat, for that matter. They might even be happier without being constantly manipulated by the Court.
Also, the Court's primary means of influencing Annie is by manipulating other people she cares about. Removing two of the people closest to Annie from the picture would reduce the Court's ability to control Annie. And they know it.
Hence, I believe that there are two main reasons Anthony might still be in the Court, and either or both could be true. The first of these reasons is mental inertia. When he was away, he felt like he didn't want to come back. But now that he is at the Court, leaving requires more mental energy than staying in the same situation he is already in.
The second reason is that he wants more than merely keeping Annie and himself safe. Whatever Coyote meant by "Man's effort to become God," Tony wants in on it. And he wants Annie in on it with him. This possibility is one in which I would have considerably less sympathy for Tony than I would otherwise.