Could Aunt Josephine return?

[Dante]

That theory has been put forward many times before, and most people agree that it would not only be completely heartless and would immediately turn all trainee volunteers and noble people away from the organisation, it would also be a huge waste of time and effort.

[Antenora]

And that theory raises the question of what exactly the Baudelaires are being trained for, if all their terrible experiences are only for the sake of training them.

[RockSunner]

I could almost make a case for the theory that Count Olaf is training them for his side of the V.F.D. Cruelty is no problem in his case.

TPP spoilers:


When Sunny shows an interest in arson, Olaf exclaims "I knew I was a good guardian after all!" Earlier, Dewey equates their being in Olaf's custody with being taken by the V.F.D.

Olaf has always seemed to turn his back to give them opportunities to escape, sometimes at a moral cost. (I still believe his motives are purely financial, however).

[Antenora]

You have a good point--the Baudelaires have learned a lot of VFD skills, such as anagrams and disguises, from Olaf. If Olaf gained permanent custody of theBaudelaires, he probably would recruit them to his cause, force them to help him get ahold of other family fortunes.

[Dante]

While I am in agreement with that idea, it doesn't concern Josephine particularly. It's easy to go onto off-topic tangents, but they belong in on-topic threads.

[RockSunner]

Back on topic: there have been two mentions of recovering parts of Aunt Josephine's library (one in TGG, one in TPP), but nothing about finding her. I think she is gone for good.

[Dante]

Aye. It's possible that we might see what's left of her library - Violet may return to Briny Beach and visit the Queequeg again, and some have suggested that the underwater catalog will feature in Book the Thirteenth. I don't personally see either of those happening, but it might, and Handler is full of surprises.

[Antenora]

I suspect that there's a passageway between someplace in the ocean and the underwater catalog, so the books from Josephine's library that were on the Queequeg could have ended up there. Widdershins or Phil could have taken them there, and one of the orphans may end up visiting the catalog in Book 13.

[RockSunner]

I'm not sure I believe in the secret passage to the sea. For one thing, water lilies are freshwater plants. (Though in Lemony's world of odd botany who knows?)

It would not be necessary to have such a passage to get books from Aunt Josephine's library. The Baudelaires left the submarine on the shore of Briny Beach and volunteers could have entered and investigated. Lemony did, as it says in the notes to the publisher at the end of TSS.

[vksbaudelaire]

Oh, there you are! Were did you go!

[fadingfawkes]

I think she might have survived. She said she use to swim in the lakes and knew all the places and stuff...She may have swam to safety, but was afraid so she went hid.

[Question Mark]

dragonprincess said:

In the Wide Window, it said "when the children were at a horrible boarding school, two fishermen found her life jacket in tatters flooting alone in the murky water" There is a HUGH chance that someone found her(Snicket)with her life jacket still on. Remember this woman was scared of everything. She could have been fighting with the person who saved her, in the process ripping the life jacket to tatters.

I Just thought of something. She could still be alive, since she had on two lifejackets instead of one.

[Dante]

He's right. Top of page 164, it says Josephine was wearing two lifejackets. So unless Snicket forgot, or he meant both of her lifejackets and didn't want the sentence to sound clumsy, or Josephine lost one later on, then that leaves one missing lifejacket. Although that's still not conclusive proof that she's alive (seems a little unlikely this late in the series - but B13 will begin, at least, all at sea).

[fireman911]

NO i hope she dead becuz she is always bad to the childern

[twistedbrain]

She is not bad, she is simply an inept guardian. Josephine is too preoccupied with her fears.