Deborah
ENGL 3850-02N
Sci-Fi Lit
Dr. Coats
1 April, 1997
Crucifixus Etiam
I found Walter M. Miller Jr.'s "Crucifixus Etiam" an enthralling read, especially since the subject matter dealt with a topic close to the season. Manue Nanti works on Mars- harsh backbreaking labor- without a clue as to the final outcome of his work. In order to "make some dough," he sacrifices his ability to breathe. There are no native Martians here. The Martians are those laborers who become what the planet forces them to become. This short story finds its pace easily, a bonus for the reader.
I really enjoyed this short story. I read and reread it, wanting to find a different moral or more satisfying end than the one presented, but I ultimately accepted the author's decision. The men labor for no other reason than to earn a living. Questioning their purpose only leads to unsettled feelings and even more questions. As a college student, I find that questioning the reasons behind "the way things are" brings these same ends. I must ask myself, "Is it worth the heartache and bother? Can I go with the flow and just wait and see how things work out before I go berserk wondering?" Manue asks these same things. He ultimately comes to terms with his fate and lot. When he finds out what he has been laboring for and why, he accepts the price he paid.
As I stated before, there are no Martians here save those created by the environment from the laborers. These laborers are no longer Terran, as they cannot function on Earth without their auxiliary oxygenator equipment. But they were not born on Mars. They become Martians as they create a new Mars. This new Mars will be an Eden created by the gods of science from a harsh and unforgiving environment with an "endless routine of pain, fear, hard work, anger." (Miller 235) Unfortunately, it is not a Mars that they can enjoy, though, for it is a equivalent of Earth. They suffer and labor to create something they themselves cannot partake of. But, as Kinley states at the end, "What man ever made his own salvation?" (Miller 245)
I enjoyed the whole savior theme in this story. The portrayal of the men as Christ figures was a new twist. Many modern stories show Christ as a human who has no idea how his place in the divine plan will work out; he simply trusts that it will, as Manue does. In the end, Manue is suffering through a private Gethsemene and is confronted with a very Christ-like dilemma. He knows that there must be some kind of a plan; that the explanation given to them is unsatisfactory. But what part does he play? How can his suffering aid humanity? Is his suffering necessary? After some serious thought and reflection, he decides that yes, it is. He suffers, true, but he has a purpose and goal. Those who enjoy the "salvation" of the Eden he created are merely 'Reapers.' The 'Sowers,' on the other hand, know their place in the scheme of things. It is not a pretty or attractive place, but it is theirs.
This disturbing, absorbing story by Miller is a drastically different view of Mars than the Manifest Destiny-type stories we have read previously in this class. But upon examination past the first read-through, it is an uplifting, spiritual experience. How many other Mars heroes find their soul and rediscover their place in the human destiny of faith? In all the colonizing Man has done over the centuries, he always put his journey in the hands of God or a God. How fitting that Manue (short for Emanuel- God is with us) finds God in himself in the wasteland of Mars.