You knew I’d talk about Terry Pratchett one day, didn’t you? I wasn’t planning on doing a reread right now but it was the day before my English exam, the nerves had finally hit and I needed to calm myself so I could sleep, I turned to an old favourite and went to bed to read…it worked and I slept.
Nothing in Pratchett is there by chance, every little word is there by design and every word or phrase means something, whether it has one meaning or many depends on the reader and the amount of knowledge you have in your head. Let’s start with the title.
Going Postal is found in the Urban Dictionary
originally coined from a series of real life shootings in the postal service, it now usually means that someone is about to go nuts or off the deep end. the reason for going postal is usually trivial. also, means person on psychiatric meds that is off their pills.
And that fits the book beautifully. Not only is this book about the postal service in Ankh Morpork but Moist von Lipwig goes off his head on many occasions only to move things on substantially.
The book starts off with Moist von Lipwig trying to escape from prison as he’s about to be hung, he wakes up from hanging to be given a choice; take over the Ankh Morpork Postal Service or walk through the door to the scorpion pit.
The postal service has many issues, one of which is nothing has been delivered in many years and all the letters are taking up residence in the post office. Moist von Lipwig takes this on board while trying to escape and ends up doing a very good job.
This character, who happens to be my favourite character in the Discworld books, is a con man. He’s very good at staying one step ahead of the problem and the law but in this case it catches up with him and he finds himself riding the wave of popularity and redemption. He uses words to get himself out of trouble and sleight of hand to make himself pots of money, he understands that people need ritual and someone to look up to so he plays to both of those in part by wearing a very gold, showy suit and giving people something for them to cheer about and bet on. He knows when to stand out and when to fade into the background.
So, the suit he wears is made of gold fabric to look showy and has wings on his hat and boots to symbolise Mercury the Messenger but also to symbolise speed. The Ankh Morpork Post Office building has the same creed as the United States Postal Service
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
von Lipwig takes the time to find the missing letters and have them reinstalled. I took a picture of the US building in NY when I was there and if you look carefully you might be able to read the letters.
von Lipwig also invents stamps and makes Stanley the head of the Stamp Department. Stanley has issues but he understands collecting as he’s collected pins for years, at this stage he feels he’s growing up and leaving the childish pursuits of pins behind for stamps.
The names used in Discworld are not chosen out of a hat, I do wonder why he’s called Stanley. It could be for Stanley Bruce, the 8th Prime Minister of Australia, it could be for Stanley Tools, it could be a reference to something much older than either of them or it could be a reference to someone Pratchett knew. Research is the key here and I’ve spent five seconds on it.
Recommend
Yes, I recommend it. This book will help you see through the hype of some organisations, it will help you understand collecting a little more and you’ll have a ball reading it. There is a chain smoker in it and von Lipwig falls for her, his thoughts about kissing her include ‘kissing an ashtray’ but he can’t help himself.