I’ve been reading Boethius’ *Consolations of Philosophy,* the book and philosopher Ignatius Rylie was obsessed with. (It is also very small so it is strange that it is represented as a large book in CoD). According to Boethius, Fortuna’s wheel is all good. If it spins up or down it is good because it is an agent of providence. Providence is God’s plan in the world in a kind of large scale view. And fortune is the particular motion of events that comprise that grand scheme of providence. So because God is good His plan is good, and the particular movings of fortune are apart of this goodness. That is the conclusion Boethius came to. People always say that Ignatius never changes, but I think at the end Ignatius was changed.
The last line in the book says, “He stared gratefully at the back of Myrna’s head, at the pigtail that swung innocently at his knee. Gratefully. How ironic, Ignatius thought. Taking the pigtail in one of his
paws, he pressed it warmly to his wet moustache.”
Ignatius was finally grateful for the first recorded time. He did something out of love finally. He was grateful to someone, to this woman who had rescued him. Fortuna and Myrna are both women and Ignatius talked about both of them badly. But now he honors her by kissing the pigtail out of gratitude. In kissing Myrna’s pigtail he also kisses Fortuna’s. I think Fortuna’s downward spin was a way of teaching Ignatius to be a good person. His valved was not closed, he is grateful, he is quiet, the book ends hopefully.
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by Alone_Asparagus7651