IV. THE EMPEROR
In Red Dead Redemption 2, you play as an outlaw named Arthur, a member of a band led by a man named Dutch van der Linde. The internet calls him a merciless killer and that is true but it’s not the way I think of him, which is the whole problem with me.
Wikipedia says, “The Emperor sits on a ram-adorned throne, a symbol of Mars. Another ram head can be seen on his cloak. His long white beard bearing the symbol of ‘wisdom.’ He holds an Ankh scepter in his right hand, and a globe, symbol of domination, in his left. The Emperor sits atop a stark, barren mountain, a sign of ‘sterility of regulation, and unyielding power.’ He symbolizes the top of the secular hierarchy, the ultimate male ego. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world.”
My book ends with Dutch and his beautiful meaningless speeches. “Who amongst you is with me, and who is betraying me?” he asked. He said, so often it became a joke, that we needed some money, that he had a plan, and that we needed to trust him.
After I finished writing the book, I played the first Red Dead Redemption, which takes place after RDR2. Deep into the game, Dutch shows up. The protagonist has been looking everywhere for him. They talk on a mountaintop, or really, Dutch talks, makes one last grand oration. Once you read my book, you’ll understand why, the moment Dutch backed off the cliff, I lost it.