Question of the week #41

[treonb]

The Church and Pastor Tim seem to serve as additional parental figures for Paige--parental figures that provide a more unambiguously black-and-white, worldview than her real parents can. We also know that Philip and Elizabeth will soon be asked to tell Paige the truth about their jobs and their lives in the U.S.

Do you think Paige might confide in her pastor if her parents try to bring her in?  What do you think she would tell him?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first two seasons in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

Comments

[quantumreality]

I don't think she'd talk to Pastor Tim, except maybe indirectly.

Ironically, if Jared were still alive, she'd be able to talk to him, except what if he "reports her" like Elizabeth did to Philip, because he thinks her zeal is insufficiently revolutionary, or some twaddle like that?

If Henry were a bit closer to her age he might get what was troubling her and be able to be her support. He's already shown he'll step up to the plate to protect his family, and he's shown a side of himself that has a complete lack of ethics about certain things you don't do (even if he tries to convince himself and his parents he's "still a good person").

I'm reminded of the scene in Manhattan where the scientist, Dr. Winter, ends up confessing what the project really is to the local maid, who doesn't understand any English at all.

Paige might end up just going to a park and talking to a rock if only just to get the words out somehow and actually confront the fact that her parents want her to be a Soviet spy.

[sistermagpie]

I don't think the Jared situation would have been a problem. First because she would never have known anything about Jared so it's not like it would even occur to her to confide in him. Second, at that point Paige wouldn't be expected to have sufficient zeal about anything. Philip can be reported on because he's taken an oath and is doing the job. It would be no big news to the KGB that the American tenth grader isn't loyal to the KGB.

He's already shown he'll step up to the plate to protect his family, and he's shown a side of himself that has a complete lack of ethics about certain things you don't do (even if he tries to convince himself and his parents he's "still a good person").

That's an interesting question in itself. I don't think Henry's a bad person for breaking into the neighbor's house (his justifications did show an ethical stance in that he wasn't hurting anyone or stealing anything etc.), but he still recognized the conflict between what he did and being a good person. But then, he and Paige sort of mirror Philip and Elizabeth in the way they approach these things, and I'm not sure either position is clearly more or less that of a good person.

[quantumreality]

I think under the right circumstances Henry wouldn't care that his parents were effectively working to destroy the USA, because they're *his* parents and damned if anyone will take them away from him.

He might even see the whole thing as a giant game, and if Paige were to get her own moral qualms, he might tell her as much.