Mister Monday - Discuss Chapters 7-12

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Here we’ll be discussing chapters 7 through 12 of Mister Monday by Garth Nix!

Feel free to offer any thoughts that you like or to use some of our suggested questions below. There are also some optional creative prompts that you can choose to complete for more beans.

If you include specifics about the plot, please remember to use spoiler tags to avoid spoiling it for someone who might have clicked on this post by mistake. You can do this by typing

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Discussion
If you were in Arthur’s position, would you have decided to enter the house?
Would you like the chance to look around the city Arthur found himself in? How does it compare to other fantasy cities or towns you've read about?
Why do you think the denizens of the house are so obsessed with human illnesses?
Where do you think the mysterious piper’s children came from? And what’s the significance of the “washing between the ears”?

You can write as much ore as little as you want (this is meant to be a bit of easy fun) but please do try to write at least a few lines to avoid spam. If someone has said something you find interesting, you should definitely respond to them.

You’ll earn 10 beans for contributing to the discussion.

Creative
Writing (15 beans)
Arthur came across signs with some very odd office/building/department names on them. Come up with the names of 7 other weird or nonsensical places you might find in the city (or the house as a whole).
Art (15 beans)
Design an outlandish outfit that one of the denizens of the city might wear. You can either create a graphic from scratch or use a dollmaker. Please upload your graphic to an image hosting website and make sure it’s no more than 600 by 600 pixels.

The deadline for earning beans is 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 31st of October.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

If you were in Arthur’s position, would you have decided to enter the house?
I feel that if I was in Arthur's position, with the whole idea being the necessity of finding some sort of cure for this diseasement afflicting his family and friends, I'd feel I'd have no choice but to enter the house. It wouldn't be a decision so much as a realization that it's gotta be done. I'd probably not be happy about it, though.

Would you like the chance to look around the city Arthur found himself in? How does it compare to other fantasy cities or towns you've read about?
Nope. I'd not really feel an inclination to explore. I think that 1) I'd be wanting to find a 'cure' and all my focus would be there and 2) exploring would take time, and I'd have no time to waste on looking around (unless such looking around helps me to find a cure, or the source of a cure). As for it being familiar, nope, it's not familiar to me! There are bits and pieces which trigger a slight 'recognition' but not much.

Why do you think the denizens of the house are so obsessed with human illnesses?
I think the denizens of the house are obsessed with human illnesses because it's, if nothing else, feeling 'something' there. It seems like there is a distinct sensory deprivation going on, in some ways (yes, cold can be felt, etc etc but those are not personal?), and also, maybe the experience of the human illness is a faint reminder of when they lived in another place and felt these things directly.

Where do you think the mysterious piper’s children came from? And what’s the significance of the “washing between the ears”?
The children, I think, came from everywhere, from all times, gathered at those times when it was happening. The whole concept of that 'washing between the ears' is terrible. It's somewhat like what happens here, the memories being taken away from a person and they are liken unto being 'reborn' without memories of previous incarnations. I wonder what is done with the memories, when they are 'washed between the ears' -- are they used by others of higher rank, as entertainment or as 'food'?

The story grows more and more disturbing, and yet, strangely, becomes familiar, which is, in and of itself, a disturbing concept.

[Scarlet Robloutain]

Discussion

If you were in Arthur’s position, would you have decided to enter the house?
My curiosity would take the best of me and I would enter the house. Also it would've probably been safer inside than outside with all of this going on.

Would you like the chance to look around the city Arthur found himself in? How does it compare to other fantasy cities or towns you've read about?
I would definitely want to look around, it seems so pretty. And all the writing, I would most likely get lost trying to read most of it. As for other fantasy towns, they are often depicted in older styles as well.


Why do you think the denizens of the house are so obsessed with human illnesses?
I think it's because they can't get sick, therefore it's quite interesting to them what it's like to be human and have a risk on your life or health. Except that it'll never hurt them as much as it does to humans.

Where do you think the mysterious piper’s children came from? And what’s the significance of the “washing between the ears”?
They are probably humans who were taken from the Second Realm. The washing is done so that they can't remember where they came from. Maybe because it might cause troubles if they want to go back. Or maybe they have been given another chance to be a part of something, because they have died in the Second Realm.