(urth) Memorare

[Alan Lewis]

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