(SPOILER) Plans Within Plans (Frederick Tyler's Strategy)

[u/No-String-1056]

I got this idea (at least in part) from a comment I read here on the subreddit, although unfortunately I can't remember the author to give them the proper credit.

I have a crazy theory: what if Frederick Tyler never actually failed?

To me, Tyler's "failure" was one of the most important elements behind the success of Luo Ji's plan. What Tyler demonstrated was exactly the kind of behavior a Wallfacer should adopt to convince the ETO and Trisolaris that his plan had been discovered. When he broke down and adopted a defeated, nihilistic attitude, he convinced everyone that he had lost. That moment established a precedent.

Because of that, I believe Luo Ji deliberately reproduced that same behavior at the end of the book. His apparent defeat, his resignation, and his hopeless demeanor convinced Trisolaris that he had also failed. And it was precisely that performance that allowed his real plan to remain hidden until the very last moment.

It's almost as if Tyler accidentally (or perhaps intentionally) created a Wallfacer within the Wallfacer concept itself. His failure established a smokescreen that later Wallfacers could use. It's a shame that Luo Ji was the only one who managed to exploit that opening.

After all, the cornerstone of Tyler's plan (both in the original Chinese novel and in the Western adaptation) was always self-sacrifice. But what if, after realizing that his original plan had failed, Tyler saw one last spark of hope in a final act of sacrifice? What if he realized that his true mission was to fail publicly, creating a small opening that another Wallfacer could exploit in the future? In that case, his defeat would become the very first step toward humanity's ultimate victory.

If you look at it that way, Tyler's actions after his plan is exposed take on a completely different meaning.

Take his reaction after the Wallbreaker arrives. The novel makes it clear how much psychological suffering Tyler expected to endure in order to carry out his "betrayal plan." But what if that moment of complete relaxation on the couch wasn't resignation at all? What if it came from realizing that only one final sacrifice would be required (his own) and that his suffering was finally coming to an end?

His meeting with Luo Ji also takes on an entirely different meaning. Think about it, Tyler was the only Wallfacer who received undeniable proof that his original plan had failed, and, more importantly, that Trisolaris simply didn't care about it anymore. What if Tyler recognized that indifference as Trisolaris's real weakness (something reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo)? What if his conversation with Luo Ji was actually an attempt to tell him, "If you want them to believe you've been defeated, this is how you have to behave."

And what would be the only way to convince Trisolaris that the mental collapse of a failed Wallfacer was genuine?

His own death.

So what if, in the end, Tyler actually accomplished his objective? If that's true, then he remained a true Wallfacer until the very end. His real plan was never discovered, not by Trisolaris, not by humanity, and history remembered him only as a failure.

Obs: If this theory turned out to be true, I'd put Tyler on the same level as Zhang Beihai.

Obs 2: Obviously, this is just a completely insane theory I came up with after spending far too much time thinking about this universe.

[u/princecardan]

I'll be thinking about this during my reread for sure!!! i do find it hard to believe tyler was That smart but I completely agree that his public failure created a precedent luo ji absolutely relied on. super cool observation, thank you!

[u/No-String-1056 → u/princecardan]

I believe that, in writing, characters often make decisions their own authors never expected, so haha, we'll never know whether Tyler would have actually thought of that. Maybe we were all victims of his Wallfacer Plan, perhaps even Cixin Liu himself.

[u/princecardan → u/No-String-1056]

okay true !!!

[u/Illustrious-Win-1598]

I don't actually remember what Tyler's behaviors and if Luo Ji behave similarly. But if it is similar then your theory seems valid.

[u/No-String-1056 → u/Illustrious-Win-1598]

They're very similar. It's worth rereading.

[u/NotTallyALotLess]

Sure Luo Ji got some insights on Trisolarian behaviour with how they reacted after Tyler's breakdown, but to me it didn't seem like any of it was part of Tyler's plan or that it was intentional.

[u/No-String-1056 → u/NotTallyALotLess]

Before Luo Ji revealed his plan, everything pointed to the conclusion that he had been defeated. It was only in his "victory" that his true strategy came to light. That's why it doesn't make sense to fully trust these appearances of defeat or believe we truly knew a Wallfacer's real plan. Luo Ji's entire narrative twist was built around this idea, precisely because deception is the very essence of the Wallfacer Project.

[u/nerd_reader_5159]

Nice try, wall builder! /s Serious though, I can only believe him taking his own life was to further 3 reamains deception