Deborah
ENGL 3850-02N
Sci-Fi Lit
Dr. Coats
6 March, 1997
Red Planet
Robert Heinlein's Juvenile Fiction novel Red Planet was definitely written with young readers in mind. The two intrepid youngsters who uncover a planetary conspiracy are teenagers who can apparently make friends with any type of higher intelligence when their elders have often failed. The easy pace of this novel is somewhat akin to the Tom Swift novels of the same vein. There are moral messages sprinkled liberally throughout the book, but they do not create sluggish backwater loops. They instead allow the reader to compare his earth-bound views with those of Martian colonists.
I read this novel in record time for a novel assigned to this class. I actually read it about four weeks ago, during a lull in my academic duties. I sped through it in about an hour or so. When I reread it for this week's discussions, I read it in about the same amount of time. It wasn't that it was a particularly fast-paced novel, but it was an easy read. I compare it to reading a Bobbsey Twins book after one has read a Poirot novel. I got many of the references and generally understood the technobabble. I did think it was a little bit harsh in its handling of the deaths of two of the colonists who were brutally mowed down in the act of surrender. Granted, they were not friendly, helpful colonists, but still. I did like the book. I enjoyed reading it. But it didn't satisfy any deep need inside of me. It was like eating crackers instead of a full meal. You get the feeling of fullness, but you aren't satisfied. Plus, you get a slightly dry mouth. But I did like it.
Mars was depicted in this novel much like it was depicted in A Princess of Mars. The land is incredibly harsh by Terran standards and populated by strange creatures; some are sentient and intelligent, some are only fit to be "burned" at first sight. There was actually a princess in this novel, too, but we don't discover this until the end. The Martians are shown as spiritual beings who have different perceptions of what is important. They bond as a community during telepathic rituals of relaxation. Their greatest gift to a visitor is water, also involving a complex series of gestures and ritual phrases. Mars is also the new home to pioneering colonists: some who see Mars as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, others who want to recreate Earth as is. The bureaucracy is very strong on Mars, angering the ones who wanted to get away from Terran attitudes and government.
The boys are often seen rebelling against the bureaucratic types who want nothing more than to repress any spark of spirit. Their individuality is repressed by taking away their helmet markings and clothing them in regimental uniforms. The boys unintentionally break the code by being unprepared. When they are "called onto the carpet" by the headmaster, a man who got this job by being a friend of a friend, they recognize his ego at once.
Jim had come in prepared to let a reprimand roll off his back, but the schoolmaster's supercilious attitude and most especially his suggestion that a colonial home was an inferior sort of environment had gradually gotten his dander up. He spoke up. "Mr. Howe?"
..."This is not the Rocky Mountains; it's Mars. And this isn't a military academy." (pg 48)
This brave speech does more harm than good. Jim's weekend privileges are taken away and he is put on the black list in Headmaster Howe's mind. But he does not care for his reputation in Howe's eyes; he cares only about his own self-image. I respect this self reliance and independence on his part. His spirit and boldness are a bright mark on the desolate Martian landscape.
As I stated before, I did enjoy the book. But its morals and lessons are loudly proclaimed on the surface. There are no deep currents of thought. The colonists are- on the whole- good and right. The rigid military types are just that- nameless, faceless army types who are at the beck and call of the ruling class of bureaucrats. So, in case I have not made my point in previous pages, I state it again once and for all. I liked the book. But I did not enjoy it as well as the others, for it did not have a meaty aspect to fill my mind. But I did like it. I would recommend it to a younger reader in search of a nice, neat sci-fi novel intended for juvenile readers.