Asked what is to be done, Hugh Valland replies:
"'We survive,'..." (p. 33)
Assessing their situation and their supplies, he judges:
"'We'll live,'..." (p. 35)
Asked whether they can get off the planet where they have crash-landed, he replies:
"'Got to.'" (ibid.)
Well, he says a little more than that:
"'Sure. Got to. Mary O'Meara's waitin' for me." (ibid.)
A more personal motivation has come into play. On our very first reading of this novel, we accept Valland's statement at face value. It is only at the very end of the novel that we question the sanity of his motivation. (We can only read for the first time once!)
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I was certainly surprised by the conclusion of WORLD WITHOUT STARS. As I was by the endings of others of Anderson's stories: "Welcome," "The Martyr," and "Eutopia."
Ad astra! Sean
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