A Second Chance

While reading The Futurological Congress, I was eerily reminded of I, Robot in that our idea of normalcy is challenged. Like I, Robot, Ijon Tichy enters a world in which humans are not the masters of themselves but rather slaves to their own creations. Tichy’s hallucinations portray many future fears for the human race, including overpopulation, running out of resources and space, as well as the effects of drug use in an attempt to fix (or cover up) these problems. I found Tichy’s world before his hallucinations alarming as well. The use of violence as a common occurrence illustrates the beginning of humanity’s collapse. Tichy describes a violent shooting saying, “sight of a man at your side crumpling to the floor under heavy fire is not among the most pleasant” (Stainslaw, 2). The indifference with which Tichy describes this death shows that he is a part of the problem. However, he is given the chance to solve these world problems when he wakes up in the sewer on the second day of the Congress. This is a common storyline that Stainslaw follows; the protagonist, after a series of unfortunate events, is given another chance to right his wrongs. (The most relevant example might be the movie Click). In any case, after reawaking from his drugged stupor, Tichy realizes the importance of reversing the current situation. As “the manuscript slipped from his hands, hit the dark water with a splash, and floated away,” Tichy and the rest of the futurologists usher in a new era, one that hopefully will differ significantly from Tichy’s hallucination (58).