The Roads Must Roll:
The Roads Must Roll, by Robert A. Heinlein, is an exploration of the unions in the 1940’s and their effect on society. By the events described in the short story, Heinlein believes the unions are actually a bad idea because of the danger they can pose to society by going on strike. The whole idea behind the unions is that the blue-collar workers would band together to get better working conditions and to protect each other. Individually, they have no power, but as a unit, they have formidable strength.
Heinlein creates a world where transportation, commutes, shopping, and virtually everything depend on the rolling roads. The roads roll because the technicians dutifully complete their job and make sure everything runs smoothly. However, the technician union is threatening to go on strike because they feel as though they are being mistreated. When they talk to each other, they use language like “Brother Harvey”, alluding to a fraternity or a cult. It gives the union a more ominous connotation. Furthermore, the head of the union, Brother Van Kleek, decides to go on strike and there is a lot of destructive turmoil as a result. The army has to go in and raid the union with gunfire to bring the strike to an end. There is a lot of collateral damage and Heinlein really drives his point of the unions being too dangerous when he has Van Kleek killed.
What I like about this short story is how Heinlein uses a “fish out of water” to help the reader understand what is going on in this new world. By having Mr. Blekinsop, an Australian ambassador that is interested in the rolling roads technology, in the story, Heinlein can describe how the roads work and the extent of the technicians control over the very important part of this world’s society.
The Weapons Shop:
The Weapons Shop, by E. van Vogt, explores business morals and the corruption of monarchies through Fara’s interactions with the weapons shop. Initially, he is against the weapons shops that are springing up around the country because Queen Isha does not sanction them. Fara adores Queen Isha and will not tolerate anything that is said against her. However, when Queen Isha’s bank exploits Fara and takes all of his money, it is the weapons shop that comes to the rescue and reimburses Fara. After this, Fara realizes that the weapons shops are actually there to regulate and fight against the Queen’s overwhelming power to make sure she does not continue to take advantage of her subjects. Van Vogt illustrates the potential implications of having too much power in one person through the situation that is played out in The Weapons Shop. He believes that the person in power will take advantage of those below him or her unless someone is there to stop them.
I liked this story because I could really relate to Fara. He is a prideful man that stands beside what he believes in: the queen. When Fara was upset, I was upset because since I made that connection with him, I was on his side for the entire story. This is important because I, as a reader, become invested in the novel and it makes the entire experience more fun and interesting.
The Cold Equations:
The Cold Equations, by Tom Godwin, explores the role man plays in the laws of nature. He believes that man can only learn to live within the laws of nature, but never change them. Godwin outlines his views by putting a stowaway, Marilyn Cross, on to an EDS. An EDS only has enough fuel for its cargo and pilot – any extra weight will cause the EDS to run out of fuel and crash. This is the cold equation that the story is based upon: pilot + cargo = x amount of fuel; pilot + cargo + unaccounted weight > x amount of fuel. The fact is that there is nothing to be done to save Marilyn from being jettisoned into space because man must adhere to these rigid laws of nature.
I really liked this story because Godwin fully develops his two characters in only a handful of pages. As readers, we see a change and maturation in both characters and it helps give the story a new dimension. It helps me relate to the characters and really buy into the story. I also really liked how deep and difficult the situation gets in this story. Godwin puts two characters in a no win situation and their conversation outlines the difficulties of some big ethical dilemmas. It is cool how science fiction can tackle big ethical questions, even though it is normally considered to be more of an action-thriller genre.
The Quest for Saint Aquin
The Quest for Saint Aquin, by Anthony Boucher, explores technology’s role in religion. In this futuristic world, Christianity and other faith-based religions are oppressed by the Technarchs. However, there is someone named Saint Aquin who converts everyone he talks to into loyal Christians. Once the main protagonist, Thomas, discovers that Saint Aquin is a robot that believes God exists, he undergoes a revelation and is reaffirmed in his belief in God. Boucher is describing that even though technology is getting more and more advanced, to the point of near artificial intelligence, it all points back to some divine being. In this case, Boucher believes this higher power is God.
I thought this story was a little cheesy and kind of bad because a lot of the dialogue seemed forced. For example, when Thomas undergoes his revelation, he exlaims, “…We must call reason into our service – and Aquin has shown us that perfect reason can lead only to God!” I think that Boucher should have left this line out because it is awkwardly phrased and leads no room for analysis. He lays out the answer for us and we do not get to debate and argue our point. Furthermore, Boucher would describe a character one way, but his or her speech would be completely different from what I imagined. It made it difficult to follow because I kept having to readjust my image of what the characters looked and sounded like in my head.
The Nine Billion Names of God
The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke, explores the meaning of life. Clarke theorizes, what if the point of life was to name all of the names of God. Once the lamas do this with their super computer, the stars begin to dissipate and the worlds seem to be ending. It is very similar to the descriptions of the book of Revelation. However, Clarke may be satirizing this idea of the meaning of life by making it be something so abstract as finding all of the names of God.
I enjoyed this story because it was short, sweet, and had a lot of good science fictive elements. What I mean by that is right off the bat, you knew you were in a different world. Clarke casually weaved odd and different vocabulary, like Automatic Sequence Computer and a new language, into the story, assuming you would know what they meant because the were in fact normal and ordinary in this new world. I will try to incorporate these kind of things into my short story because it makes it interesting.
First Contact
First Contact, by Murray Leinstar, explores the idea of proper protocol when engaging another intelligent life force for the first time. Leinstar believes that man’s first contact with another life form does not need to be hostile. In fact, it would be much more productive to swap information and technology to further both species. However, it is nearly impossible to completely discount the potential of one specie destroying the other because of xenophobia. In First Contact, the situation is that two different species meet by chance in the crab nebula. They swap information, but they cannot see a way around destroying each other to ensure the safety of their respective planets. In the end, the solution is to trade ships and fly the other’s ship home. This allows both species to return with new knowledge and it ensures their safety.
This was my favorite short story because although it may not happen for a long time, this scenario could actually occur sometime in the future. It was fun to read because I could put myself in the Skipper’s position and wrestle with the same dilemma as him. I also liked how the aliens had very human characteristics. It made me want there to be a happy ending because I was rooting for both sides. In all, it was a very entertaining story.
