(urth) Memorare
Alan Lewis
alanarc1 at optonline.net
Thu Apr 5 17:10:34 PDT 2007
I absolutely agree with Roy that male/female relationships are one of the
main themes of the story. But this story is also a commentary on what we
see, vs what actually is, which relates back to the sexes also of course.
An important incident to include in the discussion is where March and Kit
explore the first tomb, and Kit realizes the woman they meet there is a
robot. When March asks her later how she knew, Kit says its because she saw
the woman's body was literally perfect, which tipped her off that it was
impossible. This relates to the big asteroid where everything seems to be
appear as near perfect (as it's Platonic Ideal? -- a reversal of Plato's
cave analogy?). The people who live there cannot imagine anyone wanting to
leave. These are people who are living on the level of surfaces, and it is
telling that they are satisfied with that, even though all along they knew
they were signing on for an illusion, since they themselves were changed in
appearance. March however does not wish to stay, so he represents the
attempt to penetrate beyond surface meanings, which is appropriate as a
documentary maker.
This also is applicable to the nature of love. March is at the infatuation
stage with his relationship with Kit, where he is enchanted by her physical
beauty, and is blind to her faults the way the inhabitants of the asteroid
are blind. Conversely, Kit professes her indifference to March's
self-described lack of attractiveness. March's true feelings about his
ex-wife are enigmatic. He repeatedly denies loving her, and she claims to
disdain him, but as he goes over the last sequence in his mind he wonders if
she put herself out to save him, and we are told they re-marry. Is this
another illusion, or was it their surface feelings that were an illusion?
As for what place the flirtatious exchange between March and Kim plays in
this story, I think the idea is to show the sparks that can fly at the
beginning of a relationship. In this way we have portrayed in this story
many different stages of relationships. In each I think we are meant to
wonder about the tension between surface appearances and deeper
feelings/truth.
Anyone else struck by the parallel between this story and Jack Vance's Eyes
of the Overworld?
Alan
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