Memory thoughts

[azurelunatic]

Cordelia bet Aral that Miles would choose the Little Admiral: freedom from Barrayar.

Does Cordelia desire freedom from Barrayar? Yes, but not while Aral lives, and she desires him to live. So, she sublimates that into freedom for Barrayar.

Comments

[kdorian.livejournal.com]

I agree she was thinking freedom; I'm not so sure that I'd agree it was specifically freedom from Barrayar that would make Miles chose the Little Admiral. She knows her some well enough to know that he loves his world, even with all it's flaws.

Re:

[azurelunatic]

She knows he loves it, but I don't think she understands the love. As she explains it to Mark, the culture has hurt him so badly that Miles has had to create another personality to escape into. If you have to turn yourself multiple to escape abuse, if you're forced to either stay with the one that's hurt you so badly or flee, what's the logical thing to do?

Re:

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

Flee.

Of course, Miles might have thought fleeing would have been jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Especially after the needle grenade incident.

Re:

[kdorian.livejournal.com]

But is the Little Admeral an alter? Or is he just a different faucet of Miles of Barrayar?

Re:

[azurelunatic]

After you get to a certain level, there's really not much difference. The switchover is conscious and controlled, but multiple-on-purpose is still multiple. The telling moment to me was when the little Admiral popped out and said hi to Ekaterin, in a way that would likely have embarrassed stiff Lord Vorkosigan.

Re:

[kdorian.livejournal.com]

Good point, but I'm not sure I buy it completely. I remember... who was it, RuPaul? Saying that he could sing higher when he was being as a woman than he was able to when he was a man. The fact that a faucet may have different talents or different personalities doesn't mean they are by necessity an alter, at least by my understanding of the word.

Re:

[azurelunatic]

My understanding of it is that alternate personalities have different reactions in the same situations, whether or not there is control of switching between them. This same psych teacher pointed out that Method actors create controlled multiple personalities for fun and profit.

Re:

[kdorian.livejournal.com]

I think the only difference of opinion here is a matter of labels, over the subject of facets vs. alters.

Re:

[azurelunatic]

Quite probably.

I feel very much as if it's alters, because I don't feel a great sense of identity with garnetdagger.