Our conception of the Floating Market and its mass of races, factions, and strange peoples.
Page 113
“The iron-haired woman running the next food stall he approached did not reach to Richard’s waist. When Richard tried to talk to her, she shook her head, drew a finger across her lips. She could not talk, or did not talk, or did not want to talk. Richard found himself conducting the negotiations for a cottage cheese and lettuce sandwich and a cup of what looked and smelled like home-brewed lemonade, in sign language. His food cost him a ballpoint pen, and a book of matches he had forgotten he had. The little woman must have felt that she had got by far the better of the deal, for, as he took his food, she threw in a couple of small, nutty cookies.”
This passage introduces the alternative economic system of London Below. In one sense, the economic system is a primitive barter system, where objects of indeterminate value are traded for other objects. There is no sense of uniform cash or hard money as in London Above. However, within London Below’s barter system exists a complex standard of calling in favors, obligations, and promises as currency. In sharp contrast to the barter system, this conjoining “obligation” system is a higher level of economic interchange, relying upon the honor and word of London Below’s inhabitants. Indeed, the whole circle of events throughout the novel are moved forward by these promises and obligations made between groups or individuals. Readers cannot help but question and wonder, what did the Marquis do for the Golden to get the Ratspeakers help? What did the Angel Islington promise to get Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar to be its cronies? Even without all the details however, these interactions of favors has a distinctly compassionless nature to it, as once a favor is repaid, no help nor care will be given without another bond of debt. In actuality however, this system of favors likewise exists (albeit in a less extreme form) in our own society. Discussion can be evoked in parallel to both large scale (insider trading) and small scale (I lend you a cup of flour) interactions in our lives. It questions ethical behavior in a world where obligations and fulfillment of debt can be paid through various actions, and if that sort of interaction is more prevalent in our own societies than we are aware of.
This passage introduces the alternative economic system of London Below. In one sense, the economic system is a primitive barter system, where objects of indeterminate value are traded for other objects. There is no sense of uniform cash or hard money as in London Above. However, within London Below’s barter system exists a complex standard of calling in favors, obligations, and promises as currency. In sharp contrast to the barter system, this conjoining “obligation” system is a higher level of economic interchange, relying upon the honor and word of London Below’s inhabitants. Indeed, the whole circle of events throughout the novel are moved forward by these promises and obligations made between groups or individuals. Readers cannot help but question and wonder, what did the Marquis do for the Golden to get the Ratspeakers help? What did the Angel Islington promise to get Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar to be its cronies? Even without all the details however, these interactions of favors has a distinctly compassionless nature to it, as once a favor is repaid, no help nor care will be given without another bond of debt. In actuality however, this system of favors likewise exists (albeit in a less extreme form) in our own society. Discussion can be evoked in parallel to both large scale (insider trading) and small scale (I lend you a cup of flour) interactions in our lives. It questions ethical behavior in a world where obligations and fulfillment of debt can be paid through various actions, and if that sort of interaction is more prevalent in our own societies than we are aware of.
