Living conditions on Venus are hard to conceive. When Hollister is promoted to chief engineer, he gets tiny, minimal, private quarters but must still:
"...wash and eat publicly like everyone else except the very top." (p. 184)
As soon as he enters and sits down in his new place, a woman whom he has never seen before visits. She informs him that Population Control and the Guardians have ok'ed it for her to marry him. Both are near:
"'...the maximum permissible age of celibacy except in special cases.'" (ibid.)
She thinks that they will "'...probably get along well enough...'" (p. 185) and, in any case, his work will take him away from home a lot. He can object to marrying her but will "'...have to have children...'" (p. 184) soon anyway.
The congenitally handicapped are not allowed to reproduce and there has been euthanasia. Because there are not enough personnel to staff creches, whichever parent is not away from home on field work must care for children. And everything is regulated.
When Hollister suggests that Barbara put on her party clothes, she replies that the colored coverall that she is wearing is her party clothes.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Harsh and grim conditions indeed! Esp. the compulsory marriage and so called "euthanasia" bits! Anderson was able to conceive of more convincing despotisms than Asimov did in THE CURRENTS OF SPACE.
Ad astra! Sean
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