The Changed Man and the King of Words
Encyclopedia
"The Changed Man and the King of Words" is a short story by Orson Scott Card
. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror
.
and the story of Oedipus
. It follows the life of a young boy called Joe, from the time he is born and as he develops a close relationship with his mother. The two live their lives through role-play as the characters of the stories the boy has read. Alvin, Joe's father does not want to yield power to his son and refuses to play along with the role-playing. This divides the family as Joe and his mother Connie live in a world all their own, speaking the lines from their stories. Joe begins to develop a computer tarot analysis system, using references from all the stories he has read, and through it, comes up with frighteningly accurate character interpretations. At first, Alvin, being a scientist, will not submit to a test of Joe's device, although his wife Connie does. What she sees is blown off as fictional, but is observably affecting Connie. Her entire demeanor is of terror and dread and she begs Alvin to never take the test and to not believe a word Joe says. However Alvin's curiosity gets the best of him and he asks Joe to administer the test. What Alvin discovers after taking the computer test, which is solely typing what ever comes to your mind at the time without planning or control, shocks and frightens him. Joe portrays their family as a mirror to that of Oedipus and his parents Jocasta and Laios, in which Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. After a terrifying call from Connie where Alvin discovers that she is attempting suicide, he rushes home to find Joe having already arrived and saved her. Alvin begins to apologize and attempts to come up with a new way their family will be, trying in vain to avoid his terrible fate. As he stammers on, Joe begs him to not speak, but Alvin cannot stop. Joe strikes a lethal blow and finally, his father is silenced.
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror
Maps in a Mirror
Maps in a Mirror is a collection of short stories by Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme...
.
Plot summary
The short story references many major literary works including King LearKing Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
and the story of Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
. It follows the life of a young boy called Joe, from the time he is born and as he develops a close relationship with his mother. The two live their lives through role-play as the characters of the stories the boy has read. Alvin, Joe's father does not want to yield power to his son and refuses to play along with the role-playing. This divides the family as Joe and his mother Connie live in a world all their own, speaking the lines from their stories. Joe begins to develop a computer tarot analysis system, using references from all the stories he has read, and through it, comes up with frighteningly accurate character interpretations. At first, Alvin, being a scientist, will not submit to a test of Joe's device, although his wife Connie does. What she sees is blown off as fictional, but is observably affecting Connie. Her entire demeanor is of terror and dread and she begs Alvin to never take the test and to not believe a word Joe says. However Alvin's curiosity gets the best of him and he asks Joe to administer the test. What Alvin discovers after taking the computer test, which is solely typing what ever comes to your mind at the time without planning or control, shocks and frightens him. Joe portrays their family as a mirror to that of Oedipus and his parents Jocasta and Laios, in which Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. After a terrifying call from Connie where Alvin discovers that she is attempting suicide, he rushes home to find Joe having already arrived and saved her. Alvin begins to apologize and attempts to come up with a new way their family will be, trying in vain to avoid his terrible fate. As he stammers on, Joe begs him to not speak, but Alvin cannot stop. Joe strikes a lethal blow and finally, his father is silenced.