Towards the end of chapter 7, Selver tells Davidson that “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not.” (180)
- What is the function of a god in this book?
- Why are Selver and Davidson both gods?
- Why is Davidson an “insane one”?
- As a god, does Selver bring about good things or is the story here more complicated?
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Towards the end of chapter 7, Selver tells Davidson that they are both gods. God in the book can be interpreted as a way for which new ideas come to the people. God in the book is a person who is capable of bringing new ideas that were not present before or bring new meaning to a certain action. At the very end of the book, Selver states “Sometimes a god comes… He brings a new way to do a thing, or a new thing to be done. A new kind of singing, or a new kind of death” (Le Guin, 188). As described by Selver, a god is someone who presents a new idea or a new way to think of an existing idea. This “God” played a large role in the book as the God has introduced new ideas to the people on planet Athshe which will be crucial in the plot of the story. Both Selver and Davidson can be seen as God because they both fit the definition. For Davidson, he introduced the idea of killing to the Athsheans. While murder did exist already on planet Athshe, it is seen as vile and psychotic. Those who kill are isolated from society as the Athsheans are very peace-loving people. Upon Davidson’s arrival, he shown the Athsheans what it is like to kill for no reason, to kill in order to get what he wants and how to do it. These actions changed the way that the Athsheans thought about killing. Killing is no longer something that is psychotic but rather a form of retaliation in order for people to get what they want. Additionally, it has gotten to the point where the Athsheans began to have bad dreams. Dreaming is an important quality to Athsheans as it helps shape their waking lives but with bad dreams, it could have negative effects on them. In this way, Davidson is seen as an insane god because he possesses the characteristics that are known to be possessed by those who are psychotic according to Athshean society. Lyubov previously stated about the Athsheans that “So my informants state and all my observation supported them, until day before yesterday. Rape, violent assault, and murder virtually don’t exist among them. There are accidents of course. And there are psychotics… What do they do with psychotics? [Lepennon] Isolate them. Literally. On small islands” (Le Guin, 74). This excerpt from the text suggests why Davidson is considered to be psychotic. He possesses all the characteristics (rape, violent assault, and murder) to those of insane Athsheans.
Selver on the other hand is also a god. He is a god in the same way in which Davidson is but not in the same context. Selver is also a god as he realizes and enforces the idea that killing and violence could allow the Athsheans to get what they want, almost exactly mimicking what Davidson has done. However, he only does this because he has no other choice. He is a god as he led his fellow men to follow with his orders to kill and attack camps in order to put a stop to Davidson. He also gives Davidson the gift of not killing as a god. He says “ We bring each other such gifts as gods bring. You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder. Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing” (Le Quin, 180). This shows a difference between the two gods in the story. As a God, Selver is different from Davidson as he brings about both good things and bad. His situation is more complicated as he is not violent by nature but much rather became that way as a last resort in order to gain peace for his planet. He would not kill if he did not have to, but he sees killing as the only way to stop Davidson, as even Lyubov says that they are usually peace-loving creatures. In addition, Selver was able to realize his wrongdoings and seek to stop. He promises Lyubov that him and his people will revert back to their peace-loving selves and he kept his promise when he finally captures Davidson. While he could’ve killed Davidson at that moment (and considering all that Davidson has done to Selver and the rest of the Athsheans, he has every right to), he choses not to. He instead says “Your [Davidson’s] people at Eshsen tell me that if I bring you there, they have to make a judgement on you and kill you, it’s their law to do so. So, wishing to give you life, I can’t take you with the other prisoners to Eshsen… you’ll be treated like one of us when we go mad” (Le Guin, 180). Here Selver’s actions show that he no longer wants to kill as he did not want to become like Davidson, killing for no good purpose. He instead choses to let Davidson live in isolation which also allowed him to keep his promise to Lyubov.
The function of a god in this book is to influence another. As Selver stated, “We bring each other such gifts as gods bring. You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder … I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing.” (180). This show that the function of a god, is to influence one another and a significant way. Davidson’s gift influenced Selver’s kind to murder for no reason. Selver was able to drive out the terrans and prevent them from killing anymore natives. Davidson is considered an insane one because, despite rules placed on him, he seemed to always result to his original nature which is to attempt to kill and dehumanize others. Selver at least lives by some sort or rules and seems more justified than Davidson in many ways. As a god, Selver’s gift brings about good things when compared to Davidson however, in order to deliver such a gift, he had to forcefully drive out the terrans with violence.
After Davidson’s failed attempt to escape the burning camp of New Java, he comes face to face with Selver for the last time. In this encounter, Selver says to Davidson, “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not” (180). Earlier in this book it is revealed that the Athshean word for “god” is the same for “translator” as the gods are known to have the special ability to translate meanings from dream time to real time. This thus suggests that Selver is referring to both him and Davidson as gods because they are able to make meaning of their thoughts and emotions and put it into action. Unfortunately, this “translation” for Selver and Davidson manifests into violence as Selver’s dreams indicate that killing is the only way to free his people whereas Davidson perceives killing as a mode of power and game of revenge. Interestingly, Selver points out Davidson’s insanity as a god because Davidson has no remorse for any of his actions. In other words, he continues to kill mindlessly as a result of his constant flow from though to action without thinking about the implications of his actions. On the other hand, Selver admits “I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not” because he still feels some guilt about killing, which is evident in the presence of Lyubov in his dreams and his obeying of Lyubov’s plea to stop the killing. Thus, although Selver and Davidson are both gods that have introduced the “evil dream” of killing, there is a prominent difference in the degree in which they are invested in this evil dream. For Davidson, his lack of regrets drive him to insanity, whereas for Selver, the weight of his actions awaken him to the violent implications of the “gift” that he’s introduced to his people.
In the end of chapter seven Selver refers to himself and Davidson as gods. He refers to them as gods because they are untouchable by anybody else. For example when Selver says “I can’t kill you, Davidson. You’re a god. You must do it yourself ” (161) . They cannot get defeated by anybody else. They are the ones that make all the decisions for the people which is why Selver calls him and Davidson a god. Also, earlier in the book the Ashtheans reveal the definition of god to them and it is the same as “translator”. Slever and Davidson can both translate their thoughts into realizations in the camps. They are the ones that take action and come up with new ideas. They lead the camps. The function of god in this book is too “translate”. Their thoughts translate into actions. Davidson is considered the insane god because upon his arrival to the island of New Tahiti he showed signs of what the Ashtheans call psychotic. They were considered psychotic because he killed for no reason, raped women and assaulted them. All the characteristics considered psychotic by the Astheneans. Selvers story is a bit more complicated because Selver also has killed people which is the same characteristic that Davidson possesses but Selver only does it if he has no other choice. The two of them bring out the good and the bad in each other.
God in the novel is referenced as someone that brings on different ideas to integrate into the people’s way of life. Selver describes himself and Davidson as Gods but for opposing reasons. These opposing reasons are distinct from each other as Selver explains his God-like abilities as being “insane” while his is not. These different qualities and aspects impact depend on the good and evil it does; for example, Davidson’s power is the act of murder. He explains, “You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder. Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing. I think we each find each other’s gift heavy to carry.” This claim by Selver implies that Davidson’s killing spree is his power, which Selver interprets as insane since it has changed their society’s way of life. Selver himself has become someone peaceful that refrains from such behavior but was prompted to do so in unbearable conditions. While it may seem that Selver is a reasonably benevolent God, he still indulged in acts of violence due to the aggression by the Yumen species. Known from the start of the book, the Athsheans are a harmonious group of people that prefer tranquility over chaos, and Selvers actions left everyone dumbfounded. The reasoning behind Selver’s hostility was reasonable as he wanted to protect his people from exploitation, which is why his intentions weren’t wicked. Though Selver describes him and Davidson as being God’s, this means conflicting things as what a God consists of dramatically varies.
In the book, I think God takes on several meanings. Toward chapter 7, when Davidson experiences his episode, he views himself “as if he was a god”. We understand that Davidson takes on this view mainly due to how invincible he seemed to think he was. He explained that “something stirred down inside him… By God, they couldn’t get him down!”. This explains that Davidson’s mentality was somewhat making him think he was invincible. He was someone that the creechies could not “hurt”. Davidson uses the literal definition of God to illustrate himself which in this case he holds the characteristic of the all mighty. This definition of God is different from the way Creechies applied it. Those who can interpret dreams were seen as gods. This was stated when Selver converses with the Old man. According to them, God is a translator who interprets their dreams and takes actions. Selver admits that Davidson was an “insane one”. I think Selver was questioning the rational thinking of Davidson. Even though truces were formed between the Athshean Davidson still ignored that pact. His irrational behavior to gain revenge earned him the words of being insane. This is more complicated from my point of view. It is mainly because the “good thing” is somewhat vague. Originally Selver’s dream of killing is not meant to be. His interpretation was already about how to be violent and other than retaliation against their oppressor there is no “good thing”. The draw to his role is his knowledge of how to kill.
The function of god in this novel as told by Lyubov could, “[serve] as a link between the two realities…of dream-time and wake-time.” In other words, god was the one who could take different or new ideas, found in dreaming, and act upon it in the waking world – thus changing the world and himself. Furthermore, Selver and Davidson are both considered gods because in Selver’s words to Davidson, they “bring each other such gifts as gods bring.” Which means that Davidson brings with him the gift of murder and causes the Athsheans to kill as a way of retaliating in order to survive. Selver introduced the idea of being able to compromise with the colonists instead of murdering them needlessly. Davidson is deceived as the insane one by Selver which is obvious from Davidson’s thirst for killing and raping, since it gives him the feeling of being like a king and genuinely enjoys performing cruel acts on innocent people. Selver on the other hand is more a fair god because he realizes that murder is not what the Athsheans do and wanted to go back to the time where they were a peaceful species. Selver even tells Davidson that he should kill him for all that he has done, but since there is no necessity for this action he will instead send him into exile.
In the book The word for World is forest god is a translator. Someone who changes things or bridges two things together. Before Davidson the idea of violence was foregin to the Athseans but after he came they became violent themselves. Selver bridged the dream world and the real world together.. Though Davidson brought the idea to Selver, Selver’s dreams are responsible for the introduction of murder to the nonviolent Athshean culture. The two gods both brought violence to the world but at the end Selver was trying to give the gift of pacifism back to the world. Davidson is seen as an insane god because his characteristics seem insane to the Athshean society. He seemed insane to them because he didn’t follow rules, he killed, raped women and assaulted them for now reason. The Athsheans do not see Selver the same way because they felt that he killed only when he had no other choice. Both
Towards the end of the book, The Word for World is Forest, Selver tells Davidson “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not.” In an earlier chapter, Lyubov explains that a god is also a translator that can bring something new from the dream world into the real world. Selver tells Davidson that he taught Selver the gift of murder which allowed Selver to teach the Athsheans how to murder too. Selver also states “Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing.” This shows how Davidson is view as a god because he taught Selver about murder and he inspire the Terrans to attack the Athsheans. Davidson is an “insane” god because he goes against the customs of the Athsheans such as murder, rape and promoting violence. Hence by removing Davidson it will prevent anymore killing between the Terrans and Athsheans. Selver says “I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not” because Selver taught the Athsheans a new way of life, murder, but “you cannot take things that exist in the world and try to drive them back into the dream.” Selver was able to stop the killing between the Athsheans and the Terran with murder and violence but now these methods can be used between the Athsheans.
I believe that by “god” the individual has to possess a certain knowledge to pass onto others. They have a leadership role, which guides their people down a path of their ideals. For example, Selver is considered a “god” because he is teaching his people to not kill. While Davidson on the other hand, is teaching others how to kill. That’s why he was called “ an insane one” because he brings in violence to the ones under his control. Unlike Selver, who is trying to protect his people, Davidson is trying to steal resources from others in order to gain more power. In the end of chapter 7, Selver told Davidson, “You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder. Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing.” Which proves the point on how both are “gods” because they are giving “gifts” to people, but they are also different because of their different ideals. Under Selver’s leadership, we see the good things, where he achieved his goals of freeing his people. On Chapter 8, we were told, “I wanted to be sure that you understand that this is a permanent arrangement. We’re not coming back. Your world has been placed under the League Ban. What that means in your terms is this: I can promise you that no one will come here to cut the trees or take your lands, so long as the League lasts,” which means that he has succeeded and his home is no longer a colony to another nation. Although his people are now safe, we see that throughout the process of Selver becoming god, there were also the dark sides. Such as the time when he led his people to attack the camp, lives were lost including Lyubov. This regret created imaginations in Selver’s mind that Lyubov is always by his side. In the end there was also Davidson’s “death,” where we are not sure whether Selver killed him or not, but everything Selver did to achieve his goal was more complicated, and we can’t sayt hat everything he did was only “good.”
Selver tells Davidson that “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not.” In doing so Selver compares their abilities and actions. To the Athsheans gods are gifted translators who translate “the language of dream and philosophy, the Men’s Tongue, into the everyday speech,” and who link dream and reality. Gods essentially bring words for things and actions that had not previously existed in reality.
Selver is a god because he brings a new word, “murder,” into his language and brings Death with him. Selver returns to pacifism after driving the Terrans from land they were colonizing, and his actions causes him questions his sanity as a result of killing in the first place. Davidson is a god both because he brings murder and death, and also because he considers himself invincible like one.
While murder is not new to Davidson’s reality, it is to that of the Athsheans who were formerly almost entirely nonaggressive and saw aggression and acts of violence as psychotic behavior and insane. As a result, Davidson is an insane god because murder and violence are considered insane by the Athsheans. Violence is about all Davidson enacts and is capable of, while to Selver it is merely a means to an end.
Selver brings about peace to the Athsheans, but in order to do so, he had to murder humans and drive them out of the land they were beginning to colonize. As a result, Selver’s actions bring about many complications that I consider undefinable as positive or negative, but they are probably sum negative as in the end, as the Athsheans have discovered murder and it’s not possible to “drive them back into the dream,” as this new way of death now exists in the real world.
The function in a god in this book is to bring change or something new. Selver says that a god “brings a new way to do a thing, or a new thing to be done.” Davidson is a god for introducing the “gift” of violence to Selver and the Athshean people. Selver is a god for teaching his people how to use violence and to bring it out from their dreams, and for giving Davidson the gift of non-violence. Davidson is the insane one because he uses violence without any justifiable reasons. He attacks and burns down many Athshean homes in his attempt to make them submit. Even before the first attack from the Athsheans, he abuses the Athsheans that served the Terrans, even raping Selver’s wife. On the other hand, Selver uses violence only in retaliation to the violence faced by him and his people. Every attack on Terran settlements was incited by some sort of violence from the Terrans themselves. As a god, Selver does not only bring good things. Although he teaches Athsheans to retaliate to cruelty, he teaches them how to kill as a result. Selver says, “there is no use pretending, now, that we do not know how to kill one another.” This may mean that the once peaceful species may see violence amongst themselves in the future as a result of Selver.
The function of a god in this book is a translator. In the book it states, “And the translator is the god. Selver had brought a new word into the language of his people. He had done a good deed. (123)”. This states how a god to them is someone who’s able to translate new ideas and deeds towards their people. Selver and Davidson are both gods because they both bring forth gifts and new ideals towards their people. However Davidson is the insane god because according to Selver he brings the gift of “killing one’s kind(179)” unlike Selver who brings the gift of “not killing (179)”.
Both Davidson and Selver can be referred to as Gods because they are on a higher pedestal than the people who are looking up to them. They are the ones who who make dreams reality, as Selver stated Gods do, and make the decisions for their people. A lot of concepts that the people who follow them could not grasp, they introduced and brought it into the realm of reality rather than it being just an idea or a dream. Davidson is the insane one because he is more of a God of destruction. He more so leans on his need to kill others. On the other hand it is difficult to determine if Selver can be considered good in a way. As a God, he picks and chooses which deeds to act upon, “Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing“. This makes him more fit as a God being that he can choose when to exert his full power. He does bring about good for his people, but it may not be in the best interest of anyone against him.
When Selver and Davidson came face to face with each other, towards the end of chapter seven, Selver states to Davidson that “We’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not” (p.180). According to the novel, god is a being that has the power to seamlessly connect the imaginary thoughts, ideas, and desires into the realities of society. It was stated “ Sometimes a god comes… He brings a new way to do a thing or a new thing to be done. A new kind of singing, or a new kind of death. He brings this across the bridge between the dream and the world-time. When he has done this, it is done” (p.197). This clearly shows how the function of god in this book is quite important because it can alter the realities of the people living in this society and has the ultimate power to manipulate it as they please. Selver is a god in this novel because he had the power to bring the violent philosophies of the human race into his civilization. Selver was able to introduce the dark themes and philosophies of great violence and murder to the Astheanians through their dreams. By introducing these dark notions, Selver was able to bring these violent ideologies into reality and encourage his people to participate in violent acts. Selver reasoned that if they were to participate in harsh violent killings, then they would be able to restore to their peaceful roots. Moreover, Davidson is also regarded as a god but an insane one because he was the one who introduced the idea of murdering people for no apparent reason. Davidson acted quite irrationally and murdered the many Astheanians for their physical and social differences, he could not stand their differences and his ideas of human superiority clouded his rationality. Davidson acted quite ruthlessly and erratically whenever Athseanians were generous to him and his fellow humans at the beginning of their journey on the planet. Davidson indirectly introduced Selver to the ideas of murdering for no apparent reasons or murdering to defeat the enemy instead of peaceful confrontation. Selver states to Davidson that “ We`re both gods, you and I. You`re an insane one, and I am not sure whether I`m sane or not. But we are gods. There will never be another meeting in the forest like this meeting now between us… You gave me a gift, the killing of one`s kind, murder” (p. 180). This clearly states how Davidson had the god-like powers that were described in the novel, which was to introduce a new idea and connect that idea into a reality. Davidson ultimately influenced Selver to be exposed to these violent acts and prompted him to introduce to the fellow Astheanians. In the end, Selver does accomplish his goal of defeating the humans on the planet but unfortunately, ends up permanently altering his once peaceful Astheanians into violent beings. Being exposed to the act of murder drastically altered the Astheanians as it was hinted towards the end. In the ending lines, Selver states “ You cannot take things that exist in the world and try to drive them back into the dream… That is insanity… There is no use pretending, now that we do not know how to kill one another” (p. 207). It can be sensed that Selver is quite regretfully of his act of exposing his once peaceful people into violence because the exposure drastically altered their souls and perhaps turned their once peaceful and orderly society into chaos and disorder.
In the “Word for World is Forest” the function of a god is being a translator. In the case of Selver, he ” had brought a new word into the language of his people. He had done a new deed. The word, the deed, murder. ” In Davidson’s case, he a considered a god because he introduced murder to Selver’s people. They both take up a leadership role in which they introduce and command their people to take action against others. Selver tells Davidson, “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re the insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not.”(180). Davidson is considered insane because he introduced murder, rape which is labeled as things a psychotic person would do, especially since it was without reason. Selver on the other hand, committed murder as a response to what was happening to his people. They were both able to translate a deed and thus were considered gods. As a god, it is unclear whether Selver brings about good things because though he advocated for non-violence at first, after introducing death to his people, they are no longer apart of the “dream-land”.
As seen previously in the book, the function of a god is to translate dreams into reality. Both Selver and Davidson are gods because they introduce foreign ideas to one another. Explaining to Lepennon, Selver says “‘Sometimes a god comes…He brings a new way to do a thing, or a new thing to be done. A new kind of singing, or a new kind of death. He brings this across the bridge between the dream-time and the world-time'”. Selver is explaining the Lepennon the action of a god—someone who introduces foreign ideas and provides a bridge between dreams and reality. Selver and Davidson can both be seen as gods because they both introduce new ideas to one another. Davidson introduced the idea of killing to Selver and Selver showed him how the Athsheans respond without violence. In the book, the gods are seen taking these characteristics from one another and integrating them into their own actions to respond to each another. Selver succumbs to killing as he is left with no choice because the humans weren’t responding to his nonviolent actions to put down their pillaging and rape. Davidson lies on the floor and shuts his eyes when surrounded by the Athsheans in hopes that they don’t kill him because he knows that they cannot kill while one is dreaming. This works and the Athsheans do not kill Davidson. Another way that Selver and Davidson are both gods is because they essentially lead the people. The Athsheans do not kill Davidson if Selver does not want them to, and Davidson forcibly commands his men and Athsheans to listen to him. Davidson is the “insane one” because he has no remorse. Davidson continues with his desire to rid the forests and the creechies while Selver succumbs to killing because he is left with no choice. Selver shows more humanity in himself as he does not kill Davidson because of Lyubov even though Davidson would show no mercy to Selver in that situation. The idea of Selver bringing about more good things is rather complicated because he gets introduced to violent means and uses them. Although he puts down the colonial rule with such measures, he ends up resorting to killing. This killing eventually drives the Terrans away and so Selver can be seen as bringing good things for his people.
When Selver tells Davidson that they are both gods, he means that they are both leaders for their people. Selver has become a leader for the Ashtheneans and Captain Davidson was a leader for his men throughout the book. For instance, Selver led the massacres at Smith Camp and at New Java Camp, while Davidson led the several massacres against the Ashtheneans. Though, their cases are different as Selver described Davidson as “an insane” god. Davidson is described as insane because he always had evil intentions towards the Ashtheneans and truly hated them, especially Selver. In fact, throughout chapter 7, we see that Davidson’s small party of men began to display good morals by wanting to respect the peace treaty and no longer harm the Ashtheneans. Eventually, “sooner or later they all joined up against him… the strong man has to stand alone and look out for himself” (173). While the rest of the men became reasonable towards the Ashtheneans, Davidson remained stubborn and wanted to continue his killings. On the other hand, Selver is considered a god since he is a leader but was also the only Ashthenean capable of killing. Selver has displayed good qualities as a god, since he was lenient and understanding towards the humans. He tells Davidson that his gift to him as a god is not to kill, but to isolate him in Rendlep where he will spend the rest of his life alone. Although Selver proved to have a good character, the story is more complicated since he did orchestrate violence and massacres towards the humans.
In the book, the function of a god is someone that has the ability to bring on different ideas/knowledge to their people and is able to exert influence over them. Selver at one point had said that, “We bring each other such gifts as gods bring. You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder … I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing.” (180). This demonstrates that both Davidson and Selver were viewed as gods with abilities that opposed each other. Davidson’s gift is having the power to kill and to cause the upheaval of killing through influence which was shown by the actions of Selver and his people. Selver on the other hand, did not endorse killings much at all and wanted peace and serenity which was shown through his ability to stand his ground and drive out the terrans in order to stop them from further murdering the natives. The motives for both gods seem to be awfully clear at this point. Davidson is considered an insane one because even though there were efforts and establishments done between his people and Selver’s people, he appeared to disregard and resort back to his ways of murdering and degrading others. Selver appears to actually hold more morality and stay true to rules of peace unlike his counterpart here. As a god, Selver’s gift brings about goodness, peace, and order yet unfortunately to truly deliver his gift, due to the circumstances he had to resort to violence to drive out the terrans.
The function of god in this book is the result/consequences of the ideas and actions presented by characters subjectivity and rule on others. Throughout the book, it is the ideals of humans and their violent behavior on the Athsheans that they follow this behavior as well. Like god has his/her own commanders and followers, the Athsheans practically follow these ideals of which they believe they must follow as superior to them. Selver states, “We bring each other such gifts as gods bring. You gave me a gift, the killing of one’s kind, murder. Now, as well as I can, I give you my people’s gift, which is not killing.” (Le Guin 180) In this case, Selver explains how they are similar to gods, saying how as the humans have taught Athsheans violence, the Athsheans will offer them in something of equivalence, which is the opposite of violence. Hence, this gives them the same title as the gods. This also gives Selver’s subject opinion on ‘sanity’, claiming that Davidson is an “insane one” as he taught them “murder”, which makes this sound subjective (as it implies murder = insanity). This gives Selver the impression as a “good” god as Selver wants the opposite of Davidson’s intentions, which is not to be violent and commit murders. Especially instead of wanting to murder Davidson, unlike Davidson wanting to murder Selver, Selver lets him free and gives him life instead of destroying it.
God is someone who influences people to follow them with their beliefs and passions. Selver and Davidson are the Gods because they both influence people and also have destructive aspects when they spread their beliefs. Selver wants humans to stop the destruction of land and resorts to killing to protect the natives, even if that goes against the peaceful nature of the natives. Whilst Davidson wants the opposite and shows his insanity through his killings which he endorsed from the start. Davidson is the insane one of the pair because of his commitment to destruction and vengeance. Selver has a good goal that brings about good qualities, like his motivation to help natives protect their land, but he adopts some traits similar to that of Davidson that can make people question his morale, for example, he is willing to kill others to reach his goal.
At the end of Chapter 7, Selver tells Davidson that “we’re both gods, you and I. You’re an insane one, and I’m not sure whether I’m sane or not.”, in an effort to express the influence that both characters hold over others. Essentially they both function as gods, both influencing others to act according to what they feel is right, and both being able to take leadership. Selver can be analyzed as a god because he was able to lead his people in a way that was foreign to them originally, while enforcing the idea of peace. In Davidson’s case he influences his peers to commit acts of violence while being in that leadership role. Selver comments on Davidson being the “insane one”, due to Davidson not being able to act as an effective leader, only acting out of his own beliefs. and not finding whats wrong with those said beliefs. For Selver however, he does bring good to his people, acting as a leader whose ideas seem more morally acceptable and progressive, however there were sacrifices to be made. Although Selver had tried enforce the idea of peace, his actions had ended up giving his men the opportunity to commit acts of violence, which had never been done before.