Characterization in Science Fiction
Characterization in Science Fiction Kirill Kachinsky 03/30/2010 Introduction By analyzing Isaac Asimov 's, "The Caves of Steel" as a work of the Science Fiction genre and its comparison to similar works in the genre as well as supporting texts, it will be clear to see how characterization amongst the five literary elements merely serves as a secondary discussion point within the work, as its non involvement proves valuable for the other literary element development. Caves of Steel character analysis “Caves of Steel” by Isaac Asimov proves to show throughout,that the lack of character detail and development allows for other literary elements such as setting and narration to benefit and create more interest for the avid Science Fiction reader. Characters such as Robot Daneel, Commissioner Enderby and Elijah Baley make it possible for the narrator to concentrate on the setting of the story, providing the readers with a grand visual of a futuristic city and an acute understanding of the development of social interaction in a foreseeable future. Flat characters in Science Fiction as vehicles for literary element development As for the fear of manufacturing the uncontrollable that was mentioned in the earlier section, primitive technology and its exploration is seen in the story, “The Lost Machine” by John Wyndham. Even though “The Lost Machine” is social science fiction and focusing on the human aspect more rather than the technical aspect of its genre predecessors, none the less the flat characterization of human characters is present. The story centers on a robot exploring Earth and realizing that our technology is primitive because we’re afraid of anything that’s superior to us; humans are portrayed as archaic beasts compared even to the robot as one human tries to sell the robot to another human, “I’m takin’ it to a place I know of—it ought to be worth a bit.” Once again the simplicity of a greedy human becomes a
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