The door and the key? (SPOILERS!!!)

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Mighty Moe

New Member
Jun 26, 2016
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SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Hey everyone.. I just finished reading the book and I find myself extremely confused by the supposed role of Jamie in the events happening at the end.
So, Mary Fay is the door that gives access to Mother to enter this world in a physical form. This part is clear.
However, Charlie states that Jamie's presence is essential as he (Jamie) is the connection. A bit later, Jamie explains that he was the key that allowed Mother through the door by merit of having residue/leftover/dormant "secret electricity" from his healing.
Here's what I don't get: isn't Jenny (the nurse) also a cure and thus she could fulfill the role of connection/key?
As a matter of fact, there are over 3100 cures, a lot of whom would have enthusiastically helped. Why Jamie? I understand that his part in this affair could be simply coincidence or his destiny but it seemed to me through the climax that there's more to it.
What did I miss?
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Hey everyone.. I just finished reading the book and I find myself extremely confused by the supposed role of Jamie in the events happening at the end.
So, Mary Fay is the door that gives access to Mother to enter this world in a physical form. This part is clear.
However, Charlie states that Jamie's presence is essential as he (Jamie) is the connection. A bit later, Jamie explains that he was the key that allowed Mother through the door by merit of having residue/leftover/dormant "secret electricity" from his healing.
Here's what I don't get: isn't Jenny (the nurse) also a cure and thus she could fulfill the role of connection/key?
As a matter of fact, there are over 3100 cures, a lot of whom would have enthusiastically helped. Why Jamie? I understand that his part in this affair could be simply coincidence or his destiny but it seemed to me through the climax that there's more to it.
What did I miss?
....don't read to much into it, as Jamie was one of the protagonists-he was the logical "keykeeper"......
 

Arcadevere

Gentle Lady From Brady Hartsfield Defense Squad
Mar 3, 2016
793
3,689
Manila, Philippines
steamcommunity.com
SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Hey everyone.. I just finished reading the book and I find myself extremely confused by the supposed role of Jamie in the events happening at the end.
So, Mary Fay is the door that gives access to Mother to enter this world in a physical form. This part is clear.
However, Charlie states that Jamie's presence is essential as he (Jamie) is the connection. A bit later, Jamie explains that he was the key that allowed Mother through the door by merit of having residue/leftover/dormant "secret electricity" from his healing.
Here's what I don't get: isn't Jenny (the nurse) also a cure and thus she could fulfill the role of connection/key?
As a matter of fact, there are over 3100 cures, a lot of whom would have enthusiastically helped. Why Jamie? I understand that his part in this affair could be simply coincidence or his destiny but it seemed to me through the climax that there's more to it.
What did I miss?

welcome to the SKMB :D!
all i can see is Charlie choose Jamie because he trust him (since he was young). and nothing else, for me (this is coming from my own thoughts), Charlie was so upset when Jamie refuse the offer because he really believes that he would accept it.

Charlie really thinks (and probably, overthinking) that Jamie understand him much deeper than to the others he cured, and since Jamie knew him much deeper and better than to the others(due to the bond) and vice versa. that was the reason why i thought Charlie choose Jamie.
 

TessWest

Member
Jun 11, 2017
13
39
60
Knoxville, TN
I'm reopening a year-old thread, beg pardon, but I found this book for $3 at a discount store (and thanks to the dust jacket I now know that is referred to as a remainder book).

Charlie refers to Jamie as "the Alpha and the Omega" the first met and last visited in Harlow. I think he knew from first glance that he had met his "key". Until his Terrible Sermon he would have believed that all things are preordained, but I tend to believe he was on his way to losing his religion prior to their meeting.

Was it SK who referred to God as a mean kid with a magnifying glass and us as the ants?
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
Welcome! :watermelon:

Revival is one of my least favorite SK books mainly because of one "giant" issue, but I won't go into that here as the regulars on the board are sick of hearing about it. That said, another issue I have with this book is that it is so poorly constructed. To be honest, I barely remember what you are referring to (or the characters). I have been reading SK from the get go and I personally feel like Revival is THE one book of his that just doesn't make any sense. Themes are brought up and dropped and never brought up again; people say & do things purely for the sake of advancing the plot (this could be why you are having trouble understanding what you posted about).
 

TessWest

Member
Jun 11, 2017
13
39
60
Knoxville, TN
The "giant" issue you bring up (while I don't completely understand how in the world SK came up with this particular vehicle for evil) is a running theme starting on page 2.

When I figure out how to make a spoiler, I will cite.

Not my favorite, but it was too hot for me to get outside one day, so in a free 15 hours or so I read Revival. In reread right now.
 
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FlakeNoir

Original Kiwi© SKMB®
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
44,082
175,641
New Zealand
The "giant" issue you bring up (while I don't completely understand how in the world SK came up with this particular vehicle for evil) is a running theme starting on page 2.

When I figure out how to make a spoiler, I will cite.

Not my favorite, but it was too hot for me to get outside one day, so in a free 15 hours or so I read Revival. In reread right now.
You can read about adding spoiler tags to your posts here. For other help, see our User Guide. :smile:
 

Pop Rocks

Member
Aug 14, 2017
14
52
33
My interpretation is that since Jaime had such a rich history with not only Jacobs but his experimentations, he was the best choice of "assistant". You might even recall that Jenny the nurse runs out of the room before any reanimation occurs. I think Jaime was the only "cure" with enough mental fortitude to endure the entirety of the experiment.