Orin used Joelle as a go-between to reach JOI
This asks whether Orin pursued Joelle partly as a way to get closer to his father through her. It is contested because the idea is voiced mainly as Joelle's own theory of Orin's motives, so the reader has to decide how much weight her construal carries.
Adjudication
This crux has an adversarial ledger: Joelle's Veil and Face. The per-reading verdicts are below.
Theories on this crux
| Reading | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Minor Joelle cruxes | favored |
Discussed in
- Hardcore Literature IJ lecture III: The Map is Not the Territory (pages 489–795)
- Infinite Cast Part 94: Joelle reflects on Orin and Jim — commentary segment (~18 min): the three-way-bond project endorsed and extended, Joelle's naming of Jim as a receding intimacy gradient, and the Mario exception to the family's failed common ground
- Mapping the Zone Ep. 04: I just need to put the book down and go for a walk — monthly IJ read-through, pp. 198–306 (Joelle's overdose, the Schacht match, Ennet House, Orin's backstory, Poor Tony)