The Soul and the Meat

This thread follows Rabo’s changing metaphor of body and soul, from shame at human behavior to gratitude for the body’s creative work.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Radio Receiving Signals

Mind Beyond the Machine Abe’s Last Message Circe recounts Abe’s claim that he was a radio repairman and wonders whether brains receive signals rather than contain their own orchestras. The metaphor gives Rabo a way to think about sudden changes in personality. Creative Transformation Rabo connects the idea to his father and Terry, whose art seemed to take them beyond ordinary conversation. The theory leaves open whether creativity is a person’s own achievement or a signal arriving from elsewhere.

Flensing the Meat

Forgiving the Body A Private Metaphor Rabo imagines the soul as a flexible neon tube that receives news from the body but cannot control it. When someone he loves does harm, he mentally strips away the meat and forgives the soul beneath. Responsibility Questioned The metaphor protects him from resentment, but also risks separating action from accountability. It reflects his lifelong struggle to reconcile moral judgment with sympathy for people whose choices cause damage.

Thanks to the Body

Gratitude at Last Circe’s Challenge Circe argues that Rabo’s body made the painting even when his conscious self did not know what to create. She urges him to thank the physical self he has regarded with embarrassment and distrust. A Spoken Reconciliation Rabo holds his hands before his eyes and says, “Thank you, Meat.” The gesture does not solve every question about agency, but it reconciles him to the body that survived, worked, and made something of value.

During the summer conversations with Circe

During Rabo’s early friendship with Terry Kitchen

The final night of Circe’s visit