The Mystery of Kit Snicket: Lies, Retcons, and the Role of R in ASOUE
The story behind the story is very important. Lemony wrote to a supposed sister in TSS. Here we discover that Lemony has a sister named Kit Snicket. And without using any means to try to hide information (as he had done in TCC and TSS), he openly said that he was trying to save the life of his sister Kit. I think we can say with complete certainty that when Lemony published ASOUE in his universe, several years had already passed since the main events narrated in the series.
The important question is: If Kit dies during the main events narrated in ASOUE, how could Lemony try to communicate with her and save her life many years after her death (that is, at the time of the publication of ASOUE)? While some argue for the idea of a "plot hole," I argue for the idea of a "conscious decision made in TE to retcon and make this woman, referred to as Kit at the time of publication, an imposter whom Lemony knew was an imposter and knowingly collaborated with."
In fact, in LSTUA, there were already some hints of this. Consider the original title of chapter 12 of LSTUA: "Is there anything a concerned citizen can do if he or she wants to help the Baudelaires?"
On page 192, we find Lemonyâs response to this question. Note who the response letter is addressed to:
"My dear sister,
I understand how desperate our situation has become, but it is dreadful enough for people to have to read about the Baudelaires. I cannot imagine who would be brave enough to help them.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket."
What happened here? Someone sent a question to Lemony (the question in the chapter title), and he answered with "my dear sister." Interestingly, in THH, the VFD people handing out balloons and singing at the hospital explained to Klaus that "brother and sister" doesnât necessarily mean biological siblings but can refer to people in the same organization with the same goals.
With this in mind, we see the development of DHâs idea about Lemonyâs "dear sister." In THH, we learn brothers and sisters arenât always family. Then, in LSTUA, Kit appears as Lemonyâs real sister (published in our universe after THH). At the same time, another âsecretâ character is introduced: R. LSTUA is what truly allowed the world-building from TCC onward to become so consistent.
In a recent 667 interview (well, more like questions sent through Semb), DH said he made outlines for LSTUA and that we could take it seriously. LSTUA laid the groundwork for the Sebald Code, Jacques working on a submarine, and many other things. But back to Lemonyâs âdear sister.â LSTUA shows that VFD members sometimes pretend to be other members (and not just Olaf with disguises).
To get straight to the point: Iâm saying that R took Kitâs identity and Lemony knew it. Lemony knew Kit had died on the island, her death witnessed by a few people whose whereabouts are now unknown.
Now, look at what R wrote to Lemony on page 25 of LSTUA:
"There are not many of us left, Mr. Snicket, but we are ready to help you in any way we can⌠Gone are the wigs I used when I wanted to disguise myself as you disguised as someone else."
R promised to help Lemony and was known for going undercover. Did DH forget or ignore R in the main story? No! In fact, R is mentioned in TGG, which proves DH included her in the narrative. Of course, the quotes in TE and TBL are more obvious, but even in TGG, Râs presence is "felt."
In ch. 8 of LSTUA, we see the story about "Miss K" at Prufrock Prep and the photo of a woman Lemony wrote about: "Will I ever see her again?" At first, maybe DHâs idea was that Miss K was Kit. But after TE, we know Miss K cannot be Kit. Kit died before the publication of TBB in the ASOUE universe, while Miss K brought one of ASOUEâs published books to Prufrock Prep. This means Miss K became someone else, not Kit. Probably a retcon, but thatâs fine, since itâs never revealed that Miss K is Kit. There are enough loopholes to suggest sheâs someone elseâmost likely R.
As a result, the secret message in TCC and the letter in TSS couldnât have been sent to Kit. ( Note: R is only a suspect). Since Lemony is an unreliable narrator capable of lying or making mistakes, the recipient could even be Beatrice, whom he believes is alive (maybe she is, maybe not). With Lemonyâs unreliability, there are so many possibilities that I have to establish guiding principles for investigating the Baudelaire case.
The fact that Kit is described as alive in TGG, called "my sister Kit" by Lemony, is clear evidence that Lemony lied. When he called her "dear sister," it couldâve been ambiguous, but naming her outright makes it a direct lie. The purpose seems to be to mislead anyone in his universe reading ASOUE to gather intel to capture Lemony or his allies.
By the time TGG was published, Kit had been dead for years. Lemony knew this. Most of his detailed knowledge of the Baudelairesâ thoughts and actions comes from the book written by the island castaways. That book told him how Kit died and where she was buried. This allowed him to write such a detailed account of the Baudelaires, including their private thoughts and actions.
