And it sticks. I mean, focus your attention in that little world of meanings and symbols long enough and you’ll tend to get stuck there.
But reality is infinitely larger than that little world. So to stay there, in that little world, to have your perspective altered like that all the time, is a bit unhealthy and insane.
But this is considered normal. Encouraged even.
I think it was just an odd way of making him seem more human and normal. Also the fact that he doesn’t mention anything about it also happening in his previous lives leaves an interesting open question that could either lend credence or hinder his whole backstory… At least that’s how I interpreted it.
All in all, though… one of the less awkward and more impactful sex scenes in a science-y book, which is much better than the usual ones I remember because they’re terrible and awkward and don’t fit in with the surrounding plot lol
Another thing.
One of the private universes went bad. So they locked the door. A deeply scary idea. A sealed cellular automaton based universe. Perfectly deterministic therefore ultimately incapable of escaping its history. Perfectly sealed therefore incapable of salvation from the outside. And once the gate is lost, perfectly lost forever.
It’s similar to the Solipsistic Nation guy. Trapped in a personal universe where he’s enjoying climbing a skyscraper forever. His memory automatically edited so he doesn’t get bored
I think about that a bit. It’s got a deep scariness. nightmareish
Here’s a story that explores similar ground.
Divided by Infinity
It’s in The Perseids and Other Stories By Robert Charles Wilson
Maybe it was a mark of his alienness. A fundamental human pleasure rendered painful. He was on his hundredth universe after all.