A answers “What about Bob? I'm still trying to make...”

Katie asked this question about Severance:

What about Bob? I'm still trying to make sense of his character and his fevered/non-fevered role. I thought there was more when we find out Candace is telling her pre-fever story to Bob as a way to gain trust (maybe that is why she appears so naive?), and the connection to 1,001 Arabian Nights. But I'm a little perplexed by the end. Thoughts?

A I'm not quite sure I understand the question but I'll give it a go lol. I think Bob is supposed to represent tradition/'the system'; i.e. his need for…moreI'm not quite sure I understand the question but I'll give it a go lol. I think Bob is supposed to represent tradition/'the system'; i.e. his need for organization, the pre-stalk ritual he makes everyone partake in, his religiousness. But his need to return to the old times, seems to trigger the Shen Fever. That's perhaps a warning for us to constantly change, to not is stagnation and death. Yet, change does not mean giving up everything we know. When Candace leaves and arrives in Chicago, she brings with her all the knowledge Jonathan gave her. She also realizes, she's been there before. Throughout the novel, there's a theme of finding the balance between old and new, routine and change, the memories of the past and the realities of the present.

The Arabian Nights is a tale of survival. Scheherazade tells stories so the sultan won't kill her. There's many stories to distract, but the underlying story is of a woman trying to get by as best she can, which is essentially the narrative of this novel ( I think),(less)

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