Jan
13
Mesa of Lost Women
Tarantella is different from the other spider women. She is like Dr. Moreau’s panther woman — a special project, pushing the envelope of the essence of womanliness. In a Shakespearean twist, Tarantella develops feelings for Masterson. How else to explain her being miles from Zarpa, in the town Masterson was hospitalized? Her hilarious spider dance for him in the cantina seemed a response to Masterson fawning over Doreen. Masterson’s ultimate rejection is a deeper analogy of civilization-morality confronting animality.
