as mentioned, this isnt part of the mamason trilogy at all. that is alive, once, and footsteps. nor does it have anything to do with vedder's indian relatives - the link posted by 'Stephen Flow' explains to story pretty well
as for the man trilogy, it would be pretty abstract for leatherman to have any link to the other two. perhaps nothingman is the sequel to betterman - the aftermath? betterman isnt just about vedder's mother and stepfather, although that may have been a personal inspiration for writing it. in a more general sense, it was about abusive relationships, and how it can be harder to end them than people think.
so if betterman is about a woman trying to break free of an abusive relationship, nothingman could be the males perspective of the aftermath.
She loved him, yeah...
She don't want to leave this way
She needs him, yeah
That's why she'll be back again
--> about a woman summoning the courage to ditch an abusive boyfriend/husband
and then, the whole theme of nothingman is one of loss, lamenting how he 'caught a bolt of lightning, cursed the day he let it go'. she is the bolt of lightning, someone so wonderful he couldnt believe it, and he screwed it up.
later on in nothingman: 'one just escapes, one's left inside the well' - the well is their relationship, she has escaped from it in a literal sense but he is stuck in the past. he knows he doesnt deserve another chance and that he screwed up, but loves her.
and at the end: 'could've been something; nothingman' - he has lost all he loved
so yes, i think nothingman is a sequel, of sorts, to betterman. leatherman is unrelated
as mentioned, this isnt part of the mamason trilogy at all. that is alive, once, and footsteps. nor does it have anything to do with vedder's indian relatives - the link posted by 'Stephen Flow' explains to story pretty well
as for the man trilogy, it would be pretty abstract for leatherman to have any link to the other two. perhaps nothingman is the sequel to betterman - the aftermath? betterman isnt just about vedder's mother and stepfather, although that may have been a personal inspiration for writing it. in a more general sense, it was about abusive relationships, and how it can be harder to end them than people think.
so if betterman is about a woman trying to break free of an abusive relationship, nothingman could be the males perspective of the aftermath.
She loved him, yeah... She don't want to leave this way She needs him, yeah That's why she'll be back again
--> about a woman summoning the courage to ditch an abusive boyfriend/husband
and then, the whole theme of nothingman is one of loss, lamenting how he 'caught a bolt of lightning, cursed the day he let it go'. she is the bolt of lightning, someone so wonderful he couldnt believe it, and he screwed it up.
later on in nothingman: 'one just escapes, one's left inside the well' - the well is their relationship, she has escaped from it in a literal sense but he is stuck in the past. he knows he doesnt deserve another chance and that he screwed up, but loves her.
and at the end: 'could've been something; nothingman' - he has lost all he loved
so yes, i think nothingman is a sequel, of sorts, to betterman. leatherman is unrelated