Edward Bulwer-Lytton begins the second chapter describing
the excitement mixed with doubt the protagonist feels when going down the mine
shaft. He writes, “…I thought he must have been under one of those
hallucinations which seize on our fancy or our nerves in solitary, unaccustomed
places, and in which we give shape to the formless and sound to the dumb.” This
seems to be a sentiment he carries in to the new world he falls to. In his
adventures, he shifts from fear to serenity with every new exposure with the
new race he encounters. When he is overcome with fear of their unknown, they
repeatedly remind him that he is welcome among them as a relative equal: he
sits with them, he walks with them, and their languages are translated. The new
race’s treatment of the protagonist all points to a population that is not
afraid of other. The author writes about them as if they are untainted, “They
seemed as void of the lines and shadows which care and sorrow, and passion and
sin, leave upon the faces of men, as are the faces of sculptured gods, or as,
in the eyes of Christian mourners, seem the peaceful brows of the dead”
(chapter 5). This paints them as a pre-civilization, yet far advanced
civilization (the autobots seem like advanced technology). Despite the vast
difference between the protagonist’s culture and this new one, they still
resort to one of the oldest form of storytelling: pictures which are referred
to as hieroglyphics. Art becomes increasingly important for mutual
understanding, particularly where words fail. A house, a tree, a bird, a man;
the simplicity of meaning in these figures seems to be what gives it the most
importance for definition of culture. Where fear damages or stifles and words
fail, overcoming and bridging differences begins with art.
I think this is a great point and I found this aspect of the novel to be interesting as well. One of the topics my group talked about in class the other day was how the Ana welcomed the protagonist with open arms. Not only did the host and his family welcome him, but everyone that he met walking around the street treated him more normally than people on the surface of the Earth would have. If a creature clearly not human walked around the streets of New York City, the scene would result in absolute chaos. In fact, the government wouldn't allow for that to occur. They would confiscate the creature and try to extract every bit of knowledge from it they could. Instead, the host welcomes him into his home, teaches him their language, their culture, etc. This idea both is hard to contemplate and makes the novel intriguing considering the culture we live in.
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