26
PARTISAN REVIEW
love the greater the jealousy therefore by definition the love is capable
of containing the jealousy even as the wave ofpain is breaking the wave
of love is gathering. When a couple in The Wave becomes mature
enough to understand the Law ofInconstancy they are considered to be
ready for the marriage rite which we call Eating Newton 's Apple .
Eating Newton's Apple implies a passage from innocence to under–
standing it means that you are down to earth that you have your feet on
the ground it means you are a serious person it refers to Newton's
sudden comprehension of gravity when he saw the apple falling from
the tree it 's what we call the fortunate fall. There are very few couples
that have eaten Newton 's Apple . I have to admit that I haven't yet
done so though I've had a few bites out of it . This is something most of
us find hard t<;> swallow I guess . Robert nods . I know that he not only
understands what I'm saying but that he knows it before I say it that
he is even perhaps putting it into my mind through telepathy since I
know that I don't know it before I say it and don ' t know where it comes
from . This thought is further borne out by Robert's next question
which echoes exactly what is in my mind at that instant What about
orgasm. What about orgasm this is precisely the central question the
question on which our entire civilization stands or falls is it because of
his Catholic background that Robert has a knack for these theological
considerations . The tradition of the Scholastic Fathers accustomed to
those minute theoretical distinctions which though absurd to the lay–
man shaped the course of European history. There is a state known to
scholars of the subject that they call Pure Horniness . Pure Horniness is
a very dangerous condition. You think about Rebekah you forget
about feeding the cat. You forget about Eve. The family the job the
welfare of the community the whole thing cat and kibbutz. Probably
you forget about your own well-being you even forget about Rebekah
herself. Rebekah isn't the point you're just in this pure state that
Rebekah isn ' t even enough to satisfy this is the PH Factor and there's
nothing you can do about it except maybe fuck yourself to death. In
The Wave we can see one another's auras there 's something about the
Holy Land conducive to seeing haloes all those old paintings. When
the PH Factor is present in Rebekah her aura is a deep blue flare she's
aflame she inflames others pretty soon the whole settlement is on fire .
People want to die . They want to stop being people . They want to be
meat they want to be things. You want Rebekah to be a thing . You
