Themes and Characters
At the heart of Strange Attractors is Max, the protagonist and storyteller. Upon first encountering Eve, she candidly tells him, "You're so blatantly honest," a stark contrast to the second Eve's wary comment, "We can't trust you unless you tell us." This suspicious comment from Eve II underscores a sense of distrust, especially since her own secrets about herself and her father remain tightly guarded. Despite his contemplative nature, Max's life spirals into chaos within a single day, largely due to the influence of "Strange Attractors"—people and objects that possess an almost magnetic pull, having traversed through time. Max expresses his attachment to his phaser with intense conviction: "And it [Max's phaser] was like part of my body now. Giving it up would be the same as cutting off a limb," he asserts. His bond with the phaser mirrors how deeply the first Sylvan he meets has been driven to near madness in his quest for his own.
Double Lives: Two Eves and Two Sylvans
In the complex narrative of Strange Attractors, Max encounters two Eves and two Sylvans. The first pair, known as Eve I and Sylvan I, live in a sparsely furnished house. Sylvan I is portrayed as lean and athletic, with a volatile disposition. His daughter exerts a powerful allure over Max:
Their gray eyes, meticulously accented with dark makeup, appeared strikingly large. Her cheekbones were prominent, her nose petite; her skin radiated vitality. Yet, it was her mouth that made her face unforgettable. A full lower lip set against a thin, sculpted upper lip, accentuated by red lipstick. Her short, streaked blonde hair framed her head in a wild halo.
This vivid description sets the stage for the stark contrast with Eve II:
The girl stood slightly shorter than me, an effect of her relaxed posture. She donned a loose, sleeveless blue dress. Her face was pale, free of makeup; her long, dark-blonde hair was tied back into a thick braid cascading down her back. Yet, she was unmistakably the same girl I had encountered that morning.
Character Contrasts and Perceptions
Sleator skillfully delineates the differences between the two Eves. Eve I is slender, stylish, with short hair—until she attempts to mirror Eve II, who is less slender and exudes a more laid-back vibe. These descriptions subtly cue the audience on how to perceive each character. Eve I embodies decadence, indulging in smoking, drinking, and drug use, whereas Eve II is portrayed as wholesome, enjoying health foods and cuddly stuffed toys.
Sylvan II contrasts sharply with Sylvan I: "A man in a rumpled whitish shirt and gray polyester trousers entered the room. His hair was long and disheveled, he carried a bulging belly and a slightly bewildered expression. Yet, in all other ways, he was the mirror image of the man [Sylvan I] bouncing on the trampoline." Sylvan II warns Max that Eve I and Sylvan I are "functioning as strange attractors now, obviously." His apprehension about the phasers diverges from Sylvan I's blasé demeanor: "His indifference to the destructive power in his grasp was unsettling, bordering on irrational. The other Sylvan's sheer nervousness was far more comprehensible."
Unraveling the Mysteries
Max's quest to discern which Eve and Sylvan belong in his timeline and which do not forms a central element of his journey. He observes, "It was amazing how much [Eve II] looked like the other Eve, but was still so different—so plain and nondescript." This prompts the question: Is Eve II as innocent as she appears, or is it mere pretense? Seeking clarity, he questions Sylvan II, "You said the others...
(This entire section contains 827 words.)
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wereStrange Attractors. Does that mean that they have some kind of...unusual influence on people?" Max grapples with whether his intense feelings for Eve I are genuine or a product of the strange attractors, noting he has never felt this way about anyone before. Interestingly, he does not harbor the same passion for Eve II, suggesting the strange attractors might be manipulating his emotions.
Despite Max's keen observations, his judgments about people can be unreliable. His assertion, "These two [Eve II and Sylvan II] were no match for the others," might hold truth, yet his confidence in their decency—"I also knew that they [Eve II and Sylvan II] were basically decent. I trusted them"—proves questionable, given Sylvan II's attempt to drug Max to erase his memory, a perilous action that could have erased everything. In his own way, Sylvan II is as unyielding and perilous as Sylvan I. The characters' varying attitudes towards Max only deepen the enigma. Eve II's disdain contrasts with Eve I's seeming affection. Only as the tale concludes does Eve I's suspiciously affectionate demeanor reveal itself as sincere, unlike her father's false displays of concern. This revelation fuels the climactic end, where Max takes the fateful step of crafting his own phaser, driven by his love for Eve I and the allure of throwing time into chaos for her sake.