Entry #8: The Amber Spyglass
CW: predatory language
“That was the moment she felt most exposed and in most danger. But she trusted to her flesh, and to the strange truth she’d learned about angels, perhaps especially those angels who had once been human: lacking flesh, they coveted it and longed for contact with it. And Metatron was close now, close enough to smell the perfume of her hair and to face at the texture of her skin, close enough to touch her with scalding hands” (Pullman 399).
I was stirred by the tense negotiation between human and angel power in this moment, as Coulter perceives her vulnerability in Metatron’s angelic presence and attempts to assert agency. There is something almost predatory about this encounter -- because Coulter’s flesh becomes a disturbing object of lust for Metatron’s consumption. However, this moment is also framed to demonstrate Metatron’s own vulnerability, as Coulter is keenly aware that he “coveted” human flesh and “longed for contact with it.” As I mentioned on Slack (regarding another moment between Metatron and Coulter), Pullman’s depiction of angelic desire is troubling and uncertain; while Coulter seems to claim some sort of agency in this moment (i.e., observing Metatron’s weakness), I don’t think there is enough interrogation of Metatron’s predatory characterization.