September: The Martian Chronicles (Tristinn's Review)

Ross, Candace's boyfriend, made a deep impression on our hearts in September. It was per his suggestion that we read The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. In keeping with August's short story theme, The Martian Chronicles is a collection of short stories about the colonization and decolonization of Mars. Although the stories are, for the most part, unrelated, there are a few small overlapping story lines that weave the stories together. 

The author's depiction of the colonization of Mars closely parallels the colonization of the New World. The humans come and the natives are unable to survive the germs they bring with them. The the author imagines what life would be like if we could start over, build a new civilization with the knowledge we have now...turns out life ends up pretty much like it is here on earth.

One of my favorite short stories was about the second expedition to Mars. When the expedition finally comes into contact with the natives, they are immediately referred to the psych ward. The telepathic Martians assume that the humans are just an illusion propagated by madmen, that is, madmartians. The psychologist working in the psych ward is fascinated with how these mad martians are able to sustain the illusion of humans. Soon, the psychologist is driven to shot the humans to remove the illusions. Although shooting the humans does kill them, it doesn't remove the "illusion". The psychologist comes to believe that he too is now insane (as he is seeing the "illusions"), and the story ends with his self-inflicted death. 

Sometimes, we are only able to understand the world around in the terms that we know. We assume that the world is exactly as we understand it, that our interpretation of others' actions, intentions, and motivations is infallible. This story speaks of not assuming we know and understand everything and everyone around us. It calls us to consider that our world is much bigger than our conceptions of it. 

I wish I could share more stories with you but honestly, reading the book is a much better option.

WILLIAMS SCALE RATING: The best exotic Thai curry you've ever had {Delicious, yet strange and ethereal}