I racked my brain
for days trying to think of novels I’ve read that have violated their own canon
of probability. I know I have put plenty of books down out of frustration, but
no specifics came to mind. I could feel the aggravation but could not remember the
book or scene that caused it. I could think of authors who purposefully
violated their own canon of probability, such as Hunger Games (winners of the
games weren’t supposed to go back but Katniss and Peeta did) and Twilight (a
vampire who's been dead for nearly 80 years could get a human pregnant). But
these weren’t accidental violations. These were all so that the author could
extend the narrative and make more money off of book and movie deals.
I decided to take a brain break and watch a
movie. I inserted Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End into the DVD
player. (I know there’s controversy around Jonny Depp, but I’m here for Orlando
Bloom and Kierra Knightly, swear.) And, then, it hit me.
The captain of the Flying Dutchman was cursed
by Calypso. He cannot go on dry land for more than a single day every decade or
he will turn into a creepy fish-like thing, or whatever it is you want to call
Davy Jones’ octopus face. This curse makes the ending of the movie
heartbreaking. Will Turner, who is now captaining the Flying Dutchman, spends
his one day on land with Elizabeth before he must leave for another ten years.
Will must carry the lost souls of the sea to the afterworld for another ten
years before he can return to his wife. I cried the first time I watched this
scene.
Except!
I think I found a loophole.
The canon of probability has been violated in this narrative!
There is a scene in At
World's End in which Davy Jones “stands” on dry land in a bucket of water.
It is super strange and, at first, I tried to imagine how they got him from the
ship to the bucket of water without his feet touching dry land. But if you look
closely, you can see a line of buckets coming from a rowboat. He must have used
the buckets of seawater like stepping stones until he reached the place on the
beach the meeting was to take place.
Couldn’t
Will make some sort of contraption to ensure he remained in the water while
still being with his family? He would still have to ferry the dead to the
afterlife, but couldn’t he take a few days off every month in order to see his
wife and son? I’m imagining Will sitting on the beach inside a fish tank while
his son plays in the sand. Again, super strange, but less sad than what the
directors wanted us to believe. And I’m all for happy endings, especially when
the canon of probability allows for this kind of loophole.
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