Post by Hermedy on Aug 12, 2005 4:54:02 GMT -5
It seems to me that these are the only suspects:
1. Olaf (directly);
2. Olaf (indircely);
3. An unconnected arsonist;
4. Accident.
Olaf, I think, would have been far too busy at the time to consider going around burning down any other houses - during this period, he seems to have been very much focussed on the Baudelaires. Also, Quigley's recollections put the torching of the Quagmire mansion at around the end of TRR, when Olaf would either still have been at the Montgomery Mansion, or would have fled to visit Madame Lulu. If we exclude the possibility of any chronological inconsistencies (which we cannot, but for the sake of simplicity, let us), then we can eliminate suspect 1.
But what of suspect 2? By Olaf indirect, I mean somebody acting on Olaf's orders (for example, the troupe), orsomebody acting on Olaf's inspiration - with goals identical to Olaf (for example, the sinister duo). This is more credible. We will deal with the former subdivision first. It seems to me that Olaf must have been "retired," so to speak, from villainy prior to his pursuit of the Baudelaires, else he would have been arrested, or at least suspected, by this time. Once he was in the public eye as a criminal, though, then he could resume his old campaigns of violence, and go after old enemies. The Quagmire parents were certainly in V.F.D., and while we know nothing about them, it seems not unreasonable that Olaf would have been opposed to them. Hence he sends the troupe after them.
Now, the second subdivision - inspiration by Olaf. This simply means that somebody else burns down the Quagmire mansion for similar reasons - a grudge against them, opposition to them in the schism, a desire for the Quagmire sapphires, etc. The latter implicates, perhaps, a relative, but not necessarily. I see nothing against this, and nothing more to say on it.
I am struck, though, by an odd possibility. Whoever torched the mansion must not have hung around, else they would have known that Duncan and Isadora survived - they evidently escaped out of the front or back doors. Perhaps their parents stayed back to bring Quigley out of the passageway, but were caught in the blaze and slain. It matters not. But had the arsonist merely wanted to slay every Quagmire, he (or she) might have stayed around to kill - in a more conventional fashion - any survivors. This was not the case. This suggests that either the arsonist was inexperienced, hasty, optimistic. Alternatively, it suggests that, like the Reptile Room and the Montgomery mansion, the Quagmire mansion was destroyed not for the people who lived there, but for the information kept there.
We move onto number 3 - an unconnected arsonist. This is simply somebody else, unconnected to V.F.D., who burnt down the Quagmire mansion possibly for the sapphires, or for a grudge, or possibly as an act of random violence. There's nothing either for or against it, but it wouldn't be particularly interesting to the overall plot, so I dismiss it.
Finally, option 4 - an accident. Again, nothing for or against it. However, if the Quagmire mansion was burnt in an accident, then the Baudelaire mansion was not - or vice versa. For both of them to have been destroyed accidentally - a candle falling over in the library, or something - would be both a coincidence and boring. Therefore, we dismiss it in certain circumstances.
So, what conclusion do we draw, after looking through the evidence? The culprit is, most probably, number 2 - Olaf indirect. Bear in mind, though, that these other killers are not completely ruled out.
A final point: Lemony Snicket is suspected of setting a number of fires which were actually set by Count Olaf, and it is implied that this false accusation was reported in The Daily Punctilio. In the U.A., there was a letter from Brett Helquist to Lemony in which it was revealed that that same paper had accused Lemony of some negative hand in "the Quagmire case." This letter was written almost immediately after the Baudelaire fire, so it seems that this may have been a separate case to the burning of the Quagmire mansion. However, the U.A. is well-known for being riddled with chronological inconsistencies ("...could not possibly have happened at the same time"). Is Lemony suspected of destroying the Baudelaire mansion?
1. Olaf (directly);
2. Olaf (indircely);
3. An unconnected arsonist;
4. Accident.
Olaf, I think, would have been far too busy at the time to consider going around burning down any other houses - during this period, he seems to have been very much focussed on the Baudelaires. Also, Quigley's recollections put the torching of the Quagmire mansion at around the end of TRR, when Olaf would either still have been at the Montgomery Mansion, or would have fled to visit Madame Lulu. If we exclude the possibility of any chronological inconsistencies (which we cannot, but for the sake of simplicity, let us), then we can eliminate suspect 1.
But what of suspect 2? By Olaf indirect, I mean somebody acting on Olaf's orders (for example, the troupe), orsomebody acting on Olaf's inspiration - with goals identical to Olaf (for example, the sinister duo). This is more credible. We will deal with the former subdivision first. It seems to me that Olaf must have been "retired," so to speak, from villainy prior to his pursuit of the Baudelaires, else he would have been arrested, or at least suspected, by this time. Once he was in the public eye as a criminal, though, then he could resume his old campaigns of violence, and go after old enemies. The Quagmire parents were certainly in V.F.D., and while we know nothing about them, it seems not unreasonable that Olaf would have been opposed to them. Hence he sends the troupe after them.
Now, the second subdivision - inspiration by Olaf. This simply means that somebody else burns down the Quagmire mansion for similar reasons - a grudge against them, opposition to them in the schism, a desire for the Quagmire sapphires, etc. The latter implicates, perhaps, a relative, but not necessarily. I see nothing against this, and nothing more to say on it.
I am struck, though, by an odd possibility. Whoever torched the mansion must not have hung around, else they would have known that Duncan and Isadora survived - they evidently escaped out of the front or back doors. Perhaps their parents stayed back to bring Quigley out of the passageway, but were caught in the blaze and slain. It matters not. But had the arsonist merely wanted to slay every Quagmire, he (or she) might have stayed around to kill - in a more conventional fashion - any survivors. This was not the case. This suggests that either the arsonist was inexperienced, hasty, optimistic. Alternatively, it suggests that, like the Reptile Room and the Montgomery mansion, the Quagmire mansion was destroyed not for the people who lived there, but for the information kept there.
We move onto number 3 - an unconnected arsonist. This is simply somebody else, unconnected to V.F.D., who burnt down the Quagmire mansion possibly for the sapphires, or for a grudge, or possibly as an act of random violence. There's nothing either for or against it, but it wouldn't be particularly interesting to the overall plot, so I dismiss it.
Finally, option 4 - an accident. Again, nothing for or against it. However, if the Quagmire mansion was burnt in an accident, then the Baudelaire mansion was not - or vice versa. For both of them to have been destroyed accidentally - a candle falling over in the library, or something - would be both a coincidence and boring. Therefore, we dismiss it in certain circumstances.
So, what conclusion do we draw, after looking through the evidence? The culprit is, most probably, number 2 - Olaf indirect. Bear in mind, though, that these other killers are not completely ruled out.
A final point: Lemony Snicket is suspected of setting a number of fires which were actually set by Count Olaf, and it is implied that this false accusation was reported in The Daily Punctilio. In the U.A., there was a letter from Brett Helquist to Lemony in which it was revealed that that same paper had accused Lemony of some negative hand in "the Quagmire case." This letter was written almost immediately after the Baudelaire fire, so it seems that this may have been a separate case to the burning of the Quagmire mansion. However, the U.A. is well-known for being riddled with chronological inconsistencies ("...could not possibly have happened at the same time"). Is Lemony suspected of destroying the Baudelaire mansion?