Quotation: There was one kind of quote that stayed with me as I was reading these chapters and that quote was on page 62 towards the bottom. “But it is well that you came through the window— well you are a thief,—well for me! for me! It is you that I am wanting,— at the happy moment you have dropped yourself into my hands,—in the nick of time. For you are my slave,—at my beck and call,—my familiar spirit, to do with as I will,—you know this,—eh?”
Comment/Connection: I feel like this quote really sets up the rest of the book. It recaps what had just happened in a way and it sets up what the beetle wants Robert to do for him. Not only does it mention that Robert “knows this” but it says he would be at the beetle’s “beck and call.” This right away gives off a signal that Robert no longer has control of his actions and will have to do whatever the beetle wants of him regardless of how Robert feels about it. This connects with what Cohen wrote about monsters. The body of the monster incorporates fear, it is hard to categorize this beetle monster right away, and it is most definitely a different being that is unlike what people normally deal with.
This makes me think that you really should never break into someone’s place even if it may look abandoned because you never know what could be living there and waiting for another victim. In terms of there being an argument, the only thing that I could think of is whether he is a thief or not. He technically was offered the cloak, food, and wine. However, he would be considered a burglar because of climbing through the window. So with that, I do not agree he is a thief but a burglar.
Question: It makes you wonder if it was the food and wine that made him become mind-controlled by the man or if the man’s words are that mesmerizing that Robert was taken under his “spell” right away?
