Book's Hair. by Ruthie

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Book's Hair.

POSTED BY: RUTHIE
UPDATED: Friday, June 18, 2004 12:00
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Friday, June 18, 2004 1:01 AM

I had a little mini-marathon with my DVD's last night - started watching disc 2, and ended up at 1am having watched all 4 eps ....

Anyway, in Jaynestown, I was struck by a thought I've not seen discussed before.

When River panics at the sight of Book and his ... hair, he starts to explain that it's the rule of his order.
He never gets to finish what he says, but I assume that he's saying that the rule of his order is not to cut hair (perhaps taken from the idea of the Nazarites in the OT Bible, which is why Samson didn't cut his hair.)

But Book's hair isn't THAT long. If he has spent his life as a shepard with uncut hair, I'd expect it to be MUCH longer.

Does this give credence to the theory that Book hasn't been a sheperd for very long, perhaps only since the war?

*******************
Ruthie
*******************
By the data to date, there is only one animal in the Galaxy dangerous to man - man himself. So he must supply his own indispensable competition. He has no enemy to help him. (R.A.Heinlein)

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Friday, June 18, 2004 1:22 AM

KARENKAY99

Sounds reasonable to me. Also, what if the people who hurt her had "too much hair"?? might explain why she was so frightened.

"They say the snow on the roof is too heavy. They say the ceiling will cave in. His brains are in terrible danger."

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Friday, June 18, 2004 1:54 AM

DARKSKY

dunno. Some people's hair just doesn't grow very long. Also, his hair is longer than it seems, since it is slightly curly. And maybe the rules of his order allow occasional hair cutting, as long as he doesn't cut it of completely. The hair would probably look quite bad if he never cut it at all.

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Friday, June 18, 2004 1:54 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

I don't think that those who hurt River had especially long hair. I just think that the shock of seeing Book w/ his hair unfurled like that, unexpected and all sticking out when before it's always been pulled tight back and down... just freaked her out. Remember, Simon made a reference that River 'feels too much'. She expereinces everything to the extreme...she can't not - because of what they did to her brain.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Friday, June 18, 2004 6:57 AM

ANNIK

After chemo, my formerly straight hair came back in as ringlets. This went on for months, until my hair was down to the bottom of my neck/top of shoulders. But if you stretched it out, it went waaaayyyyyy further.

So I think his hair could be that 'short' easily from a combination of slow growth and those fine, tight curls.

Also ... it might not be a matter of growing his hair endlessly. Back in the day, all sorts of monks had their heads tonsured ... cut to look bald along the top somewhat like a skin-skullcap. He could simply be required to wear his hair long *enough* to put into a ponytail. Just my $0.02.

Cheers,
Annik
... my sister's a ship. We had a complicated childhood.

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Friday, June 18, 2004 7:02 AM

SKYDANCE

The "not cutting hair" is an interesting thought, but hasn't it been 7 years since the war? It looks to me like he's got two / three years of uncut growth (depending how short it was when he stopped cutting it).

Now, it could have been simple fear, and the inability to block it. When Zoe talks about "putting it away," though, River goes on to make a comment about how it will still be there, "waiting." It has the feeling of something deeper, but I can't put my finger on what.

The two Blue Hands we've seen both had very short hair, of course. They may or may not have been the ones who cut on her; Blue Hands might be like security forces controlled by the doctors.

We must remember, however, that they were paranoiacally concerned about every single word River said. When they were picking her up at Ariel, it didn't matter what she said ... just the concept that she had spoken at all was enough to merit their deaths.

I don't think it's wrong for us to weigh River's words very carefully indeed.

________
"They weren't cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see the sky and they remember what they are."

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Friday, June 18, 2004 8:05 AM

THATWEIRDGIRL

I thought his hair was quite long. 1) Curly hair always looks shorter than it is. 2)Some people's hair just doesn't grow beyond a certain length.

I agree Skydance, her words have meaning. The "waiting" thing always bothers me.

www.thatweirdgirl.com

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Friday, June 18, 2004 10:26 AM

CARDIE

I had the feeling that the hair unfurled was a metaphor for Book as he is when not constrained by the rules of his faith. I think he was a pretty scary guy before he got religion, and it's now as if River has seen that past self and knows that it's always there waiting to surface again if the discipline of the faith isn't strong enough.

Cardie

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Friday, June 18, 2004 10:46 AM

KOHAN

I don't think the 7 year since the war means anything. We don't know if Book became a sheperd right after the war, or was he plagued by nightmares for 4 years.

Hell, maybe it has completely nothing to do about the war.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
"You know, they say mercy is the mark of a great man.

Guess I'm just a good man.

Well, I'm all right. "

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Friday, June 18, 2004 12:00 PM

NUISANCE

His order may preclude the cutting of hair, but he may not have spent all of the time in his faith in the same order. It's hard to say what changes there would have been in/to religion in the next 500 or so years. The time frame is a nice way for the writers to sidestep the whole which order does he belong to thing.

Personally, I don't think he's been a shepherd that long (regardless of hair length). I just think the character has more of a history than that. Of course, Joss Whedon may have put in all the weapon stuff and the ident card thing as a red herring. Who can predict these things?

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