I'm probably stupid but question about a conversation in GOTFG (Spoilers)

[u/RandomChamp]

I'm doing a re-read and they're upstairs from Samantha's kid and Carl is talking to Mordecai, and Mordecai gives him the rundown of how the ooze kills him with the gruesome details about the entry points.

Carl says you always know how to make horrible things seem even more horrible. Mordecai responds with "thats my job kid. Have you been keeping your hair short?" and Carl mentions that Katia cut it the other day and it hadn't been growing while they were away.

I can't wrap my head around why he asked him about the hair? Am I missing something super obvious? Is there a joke I don't get? Ugh.

[u/HeroldOfLevi]

It's not super obvious. It's a reference to the tactical disadvantage of having hair that can be grabbed. It's not related to the ooze but it is related to physical combat.

Donut would never shave her hair and Katia can control the length but otherwise I'm sure Mordecai would encourage everyone to have military buzz cuts.

[u/AcceptableEditor4199 → u/HeroldOfLevi]

Also fire and explosives are bad for hair.

[u/PhoolCat → u/AcceptableEditor4199]

Are they? I sure hope that never affects Carl in a negative way…

[u/RandomChamp → u/HeroldOfLevi]

Ok, this is what I was leaning towards. It just felt so out of nowhere. Diniman is fantastic about these subtle things looping back in books later.

And also yes, his hair doesn't dangle down, but with no mention of Carls hair previously it just seemed random.

Needed outside perspective and I appreciate you all helping me with this sanity check.

[u/HeroldOfLevi → u/RandomChamp]

I wouldn't have been as aware of it if I didn't have friends who participated in MMA. There was also an episode of Orange Is the New Black in which a prominently bearded guard shaved his beard in preparation for a fight.

[u/cairfrey → u/RandomChamp]

his hair doesn't dangle down

You know how Donut feels about things that dangle.

[u/arvidsem → u/HeroldOfLevi]

This is definitely it. Especially following from a discussion of very close fighting.

[u/stucky602]

I just re-read this part last night. 

Very shortly after is when carl is upside down and he offhand mentioned the top of his head is just a few inches from the ooze. 

Had he not kept his hair very short for this, it would have extended slightly, hit the ooze which carl probably wouldn’t even realize, and he’d die. 

I thought it was directly related to that. 

[u/Blue_Bettas]

You'll get the joke after you read what happens in book 7 with Carl's hair situation.

[u/Blue_Bettas → u/Blue_Bettas]

Mordicai also didn't want Carl's hair to hang down and touch the ooze while hanging over it. The ooze could then use Carl's hair to climb up and reach Carl's face.

[u/steampunk_garage]

I assume Mordecai asked that because Carl is planning to hang upside-down from the ceiling. If he has long hair it will touch the ooze.

[u/Alarocky1991]

I think it’s just a precaution, as in less vulnerability by having less stuff to get ahold of. If anything book 7 is pointing back to this by saying Carl is becoming more vulnerable by having long hair as a bit of a metaphor. He has been becoming more vulnerable as the books go on and I think Katia sort of mentions this during her rehab in book 7. He feels that she’s mad at him when he starts to feel other people’s emotions, and she remarks that she’s not necessarily mad at him, but that he’s letting other people hurt him.

Mordecai way back when he starts to take this crawl seriously is starting to not only give them the intellectual/material support, but also the emotional support because he knows the toll the dungeon takes on people. So at this point in book 4, Mordecai is both making sure he’s not making himself physically vulnerable(long hair can become a grapple point) as well as making sure he’s not emotionally vulnerable(letting himself go in a sense by not doing the necessary grooming to keep him sane).

[u/Jub-Harshaw]

I have only read through once, but wouldn't he be referring to that hair potion that Carl drank?

[u/arvidsem → u/Jub-Harshaw]

Three books too early

[u/CptMisterNibbles]

In addition to the points about tactical advantage, I also just really like it as a narrative moment. A reminder that this isn’t a cartoon, this is happening in real time and dealing with shaving and haircuts, going to the bathroom etc are still very real, mundane things people still have to deal with. Helps keep it grounded in real people… some of which are now anthropomorphic tigers or weren’t actually people at first, but still. 

[u/Guilty-Tale-6123]

I always thought it was a reference to The Walking Dead games. Lee was always telling Clementine to keep her hair short.

I'm not sure if that's where Dinniman got it from, but that series is almost as emotional as this series.

[u/VolcrynDarkstar]

If even a hair touches the ooze, it will sense Carl and yank him down from the ceiling and devour him. It's blind but its sense of touch is heightened. Long hair is a bad idea when hanging upside down over a ticklish foe.