Literary Criticism on The Star by H.G. Wells - Research Paper Example

Literary Criticism on The Star by H.G. Wells "I can hold you - and all the universe for that matter - in the grip of this little brain. I would not change. Even now." (H.G. Wells “The Star”) “But there comes a point when even the deepest faith must falter, and now, as I look at the calculations lying before me, I have reached that point at last.” (Arthur C. Clarke “The Star”) Ambitious space explorations and discoveries made by man in the 20th century were presented to the public not only to outstanding scientists, but also by talented fantasy writers. It was they who introduced to the common people the distant stars and planets, bold and progressive ideas, extraterrestrial worlds and numerous galaxies. They made ​​a mysterious and previously inaccessible world of space friendly and interesting for everyone. They gave people the stars and heavenly heights. The two greatest world fantasy writers were H.G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke. Who was not absorbed in the childhood by their exciting novels and short stories? Both of them along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, have been referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". They have always been at the forefront of scientific thinking, they challenged the traditional and conservative views of many people who rejected the advanced and innovative research ideas and stubbornly followed old, outdated conceptions of the universe, the origin of man and the so-called “higher divine power.” In this work we will make at attempt to reflect the points of view of the both writers to the power of human thought, the role of science in the modern world, as well as the growing conflict between traditional religious beliefs and progressive scientific views. The objects of this essay are the novels “The Star” by H.G. Wells and “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke. “The Star” by H.G. Wells is an apocalyptic short story written in 1897. It tells us that one day all mankind of the Earth was notified about the penetration of a new star into the solar system. Having disturbed the normal orbit of the planet Neptune, the star quickly approaches the Earth. At first this fact concerns only astronomers, other people all around the world continue their everyday life not paying much attention to the unknown star. A famous master mathematician publishes his calculations according to which “the star would either hit Earth or pass by at close proximity, which would lead to apocalyptic ecological consequences” (Wells). The terrible prognoses come true and soon the whole planet is overwhelmed with earthquakes, ice-melting, floods, tsunamis causing “the devastation across the world. Most of human population perishes, and its works remain unusable, cities, cathedrals, farms, etc. and when it seems that nothing can save the humanity the killing star suddenly slightly changes its orbit about the Earth to a more distant one” (Wells). According to Martian astronomers the Earth’s survival was a real miracle “despite the huge havoc that has been brought upon its surface” (Wells). The star did much hard to the planet and the humanity: Extensive areas of Greenland lost its ice cover and turned green and favorable for inhabiting, the Earth’s climate has greatly changed and now people have to settle close to poles where it is much warmer than in other regions. The author underlines that these significant and terrible changes which caused millions of deaths all around the world, were just a small and minor event for the Universe where thousands of planets and stars perish every day “Which only shows how small the vastest of human catastrophes may seem, at a distance of a few million miles”(Wells). Another strong idea placed in the center of this story is non-divine nature of the universe in general and our planet in particular. The author vividly shows that all the events occurring in the world whether it is death of a civilization or some minor accidents can be scientifically grounded and explained, and which is more, they can be predicted based on bold calculations and analysis. That is why, looking at the huge star the mathematician thinks: "You may kill me. But I can hold you-and all the universe for that matter-in the grip of this little brain” (Wells). Herbert Wells’ short story is atheistic by its nature. While religious gives people the ready-made scheme of world and ready-made sense of life saying that everything is created and wisely provided by the God, the science denies this approach. There is nothing ready-made in the world everything depends on people. The science puts the responsibility on every individual – it is he or she who is responsible for own life. And with this message Wells says that we must live our lives in such a way so that in the event the Earth and the humanity perish no one in the whole Universe could say that “Man has lived in vain.” The idea that “no one must live in vain” is one of the key thoughts in Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Star” written in 1955. Clarke caught and developed the ideas of his famous predecessor. While “The Star” by H.G. Wells is atheistic, “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke can be called deistic. Deistic standpoint was very popular with scientists and philosophers in 18th-19th centuries when it became no more possible for educated people to believe that all the events in the world occur according to the will of God or the Supreme Architect. In those times when the positions of church were still too strong in the society it was rather dangerous to express atheistic views. That is why philosophers used deism which was a kind of compromise. According to deistic views the Supreme Being, having created the universe, no more intervenes in human affairs or manages the natural laws of the universe. "The Star" is “the story of a group of space explorers from Earth returning from an expedition to a remote star system, where they discovered the remnants of an advanced civilization destroyed when their sun went supernova” (Wells). The story is narrated by the chief astrophysicist of the expedition who is at the same time a Jesus priest. Being an eminent scientist and a highly educated man, he finds it more and more complicated to combine in himself the advanced knowledge and ideas and faith in the Creator. After witnessing the death of the strong. developed and beautiful civilization, leaving behind an immortal masterpieces, he faces a crisis of faith. Even before the events described in the story the main character felt confused when his colleges asked him how he managed to combine the scientific views and the faith in God. "Well, Father," he would say at last, "it goes on forever and forever, and perhaps Something made it. But how you can believe that Something has a special interest in us and our miserable little world—that just beats me." The chief astrophysicist uses many arguments to ground his faith: “In vain I pointed to my three papers in the Astrophysical Journal, my five in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. I would remind them that my order has long been famous for its scientific works. We may be few now, but ever since the eighteenth century we have made contributions to astronomy and geophysics out of all proportion to our numbers” (Clarke). However when the faithful priest sees that the grand civilization so similar to the Earth’s one was destroyed, he can not help thinking: “This tragedy was unique. It is one thing for a race to fail and die, as nations and cultures have done on Earth. But to be destroyed so completely in the full flower of its achievement, leaving no survivors—how could that be reconciled with the mercy of God? They could have taught us much: why were they destroyed?” (Clarke). He understands that always comes a point when “even the deepest faith must falter, and now, as he looks at the calculations lying before him, he understands that he has reached that point at last” (Clarke). Since this moment his faith will play only a formal role in his soul. Perhaps he will continue protect his point of view in public, but in the depth of his heart he will agree with his colleagues saying “that the Universe has no purpose and no plan, …there is no divine justice, for there is no God” (Clarke). In the final paragraph of the story we can vividly see the source of pain of the priest. The matter is in the fact that according to his calculations “the cataclysm that destroyed the beautiful civilization as the same star that heralded the birth of Jesus” (Clarke). The scientist's confidence is shaken because of the obvious unreliability of God: “Oh God, there were so many stars you could have used. What was the need to give these people to the fire that the symbol of their passing might shine above Bethlehem?” (Clarke). References Parrinder, Patrick. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. 2004  Smith, David C. H.G. Wells: Desperately mortal. A biography. Yale University Press, New Haven and London. 1987. H.G. Wells. The Star. The Netherlands ; Wolfeboro, N.H., U.S.A. 1999. Arthur C. Clarke. The Star. New York: Harper. 1951 West, Anthony. H. G. Wells: Aspects of a Life. London: Hutchinson & Co. Read More