EXPERIMENTAL READINGS: "THE PAGES AND THE PAPER CHASE "
If the four Pages were guests at a birthday party and there was a paper chase: How would they like this game, and how would they be likely to behave?
If you read through the following you will discover how the general meanings of the Pages can be adjusted to answer these questions.
If you need to read up the general meanings just click on the link at the beginning of each paragraph.
The Page of Rods loves
the paper chase because he loves adventures.
He is very excited - not so much about the intellectual challenges of the riddles (he leaves those to the Page of Swords) but about moving from one riddle to the next and finally reaching the goal. He loves the excitment and the suspense.
When the riddles aren't solved quickly he gets impatient and starts to make rather random suggestions for the further steps. But if there is a job like "Phone Bennie's Aunt and ask for the name of her favourite book" he's the one to shout "I'll call her!!!".
The Page of Rods runs at the top of the crowd, always wants to arrive first at the new locations, laughs loudest, shouts loudest and is quite bossy (even though it's not HIS birthday).
The Page of Cups
has very ambivalent feelings concerning the paper chase.
On the one hand, he appreciates the idea that everyone is pulling together to reach the goal.
On the other hand, it deeply worries him that some of the participants (e.g. the Page of Rods) seem to push themselves to the front with no consideration for weaker members of the group.
And others (e.g. the Page of Swords) seem to view the riddles as a contest of wits and react with bad temper when someone else but them solves a riddle.
So during the paper chase the Page of Cups is quite busy trying to help and comfort the slower ones who are left behind, and creating a conciliative and harmonious atmosphere when fights break out.
The Page of Pentacles enjoys the paper chase a lot - from a bit of a distance.
He is not as excited as the Page of Rods, not as worried about everyone's happiness as the Page of Cups, and he certainly does not feel pulled into a competition like the Page of Swords.
The Page of Pentacles follows the group full of interest but relaxed; he's often the last one to arrive at the new locations because he doesn't see a point in rushing there only to not be able to see or hear because everyone else is shouting with excitment and blocking the view.
He smiles into himself and looks forward to the chocolate that they were told was waiting for them at the goal.
The Page of Swords regards and enjoys the paper chase
as an intellectual challenge.
He is the one who enjoys poring over the riddles most; and most of the time it is indeed him who solves them. As soon as a riddle is solved he is satisfied - he doesn't feel the need to rush forward to the next location and he happily leaves things like calling Bennie's Aunt or disassembling a pile of logs to the Page of Rods. Only when the next riddle is to be solved he becomes eager again.
This is also the point where the Page of Swords can become a bit annoying: If someone else manages to solve a riddle before him he views this as a serious insult to his intellectual abilities and gets into a filthy temper.
