A key scene in “The Blabber” by Vernor Vinge is on pages 52 through 54. In this scene, it is revealed to Hamid that the Blabber is the same race of the tines. On page 52, there are multiple parts of the tines that are coming together to form some kind of “alien.” The tines tells Hamid not to rush him because he’s “not all [there] yet,” and two more of them glide through the air to tie themselves to the first one. Expecting to hear multiple voices, Hamid realizes that he is only speaking to one person with the same voice. He then notices the Blab outside in the hallway and she goes from her soft feminine voice to the same deep voice as the tines. On page 53, it became clear that the Blabber was no longer the “friend” that he used to know because when she came closer to him, it was like she was staring at a stranger, not someone she grew up with.
On page 53 it was also revealed that the Blabber had been part of a species that was dying without her. Ravna reveals this when she says “the pack was unbalanced. It was dying.” and Tines explains that he has had five in his “pack,” and he was down from seven of them because two of them had been killed. He explains to Hamid that he only had one female and with the uneven ratio in the pack, the mid disintegrates. This was essential information because it explained why the Ravna and Tines wanted her so badly and why the Tines was threatening Hamid. It also explains the desperation in the Tines’ voice earlier on in the story when they hacked into the Blabber at night to send him a message. On pages 52 through 54, it is revealed that the Ravna and Tines were only trying to rescue a member of their “pack” in order to avoid losing it. This information helps our understanding of the story because it explains why the Ravna and Tines put so much time and energy into capturing her. It also gave an explanation of where the Blabber came from because she was of the same race.
Your insight into the key scene from pages 52 through 54 in “The Blabber” effectively highlights the significant revelations that occur regarding the Blabber’s true nature and origin. How do you think the revelations about the Blabber’s true nature and the interconnectedness of the Tines’ pack members affect Hamid’s perception of loyalty, identity, and sacrifice as he navigates the challenges presented in the story?
You did a very good job at summarizing the scene you chose and making it clear as to why this moment in the story was so important to the overall mystery of the story, very well done.
They had been slowly hinting at this the whole way through. When they finally dropped the reveal I was practically standing with excitement haha. What did you think of the whole idea of gender dimorphism? We have some of it here on earth but I can’t really think of any that are quite as extreme as the Blabber.