{"id":876,"date":"2017-08-23T19:59:01","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T02:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/?p=876"},"modified":"2017-08-23T19:59:01","modified_gmt":"2017-08-24T02:59:01","slug":"reading-robert-heinlein-in-2017-stranger-in-a-strange-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/?p=876","title":{"rendered":"Reading Robert Heinlein in 2017 – Stranger in a Strange Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 30 years ago, I read The Cat Who Walks Through Walls<\/em>. \u00a0It was my first adventure outside of kids’ books, and the first Robert Heinlein story I ever read. \u00a0I think I was with my Dad at a supermarket when we picked up the paperback off a rack. \u00a0That book started my Heinlein phase, which didn’t end until I’d read almost 30 other Heinlein books.<\/p>\n

Some of the subject material went over my head. \u00a0Some of the stories stuck with me and influenced my writing. \u00a0Others were just okay.<\/p>\n

I never finished Stranger in a Strange Land<\/em>. \u00a0When talking to other Heinlein fans at conventions, I kept this fact secret. \u00a0I was embarrassed. \u00a0This is probably Heinlein’s most famous book. \u00a0It won the 1962 Hugo. \u00a0It gave us the word “grok.” I read almost all of his books. \u00a0How could I have left that one out?<\/p>\n

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to correct this omission. \u00a0I downloaded the audio book and I chewed through it slowly. \u00a0I wanted to savor it because in many ways, I was going back in time. \u00a0I was going back to a reflection of the 60’s, when Heinlein wrote the book. \u00a0I was also going back to when I was much younger, and the only thing I was reading was Heinlein paperbacks.<\/p>\n

Here, then, are my observations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Casual Misogyny<\/h3>\n

The first thing that hit me as I listened to the book was that women did not have an equal place in the world. \u00a0Jill Boardman is constantly called by pet names. \u00a0The women are often admonished as if they are children rather than as adults. \u00a0Several male characters throughout the book, including Jubal Harshaw, describe the role of women in society, and it isn’t flattering.<\/p>\n

To Heinlein’s credit, the female protagonists aren’t wilting flowers. \u00a0They display strength in personality. \u00a0They eventually express their own sexuality and appetites on par with their male counterparts. \u00a0But even within the views of Jill and Michael, there is a “truth” that Jill realizes: it is natural for men to need to look at women, and it is natural for women to flaunt and be seen.<\/p>\n

I chalked up the inequality of the sexes as being a byproduct of being written in the early 60’s. \u00a0A time full of dames and broads. \u00a0Given that context, the story is quite progressive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jubal Harshaw, The Pro From Dover<\/h3>\n

Jubal Harshaw is a bigger than life character. \u00a0Both a doctor and a lawyer, no one gets one over on Jubal Harshaw. \u00a0Throughout the story, he outmaneuvers world leaders, police forces, and religious zealots. \u00a0He is the only one that fully groks without learning Martian first. \u00a0Michael values Jubal Harshaw’s word above all others.<\/p>\n

Again, this seems like a trope from the era. \u00a0That is, authors from that time seemed to inject in their heroes over-the-top qualities that make them unbelievable.<\/p>\n

My first attempts at writing fiction featured a character named Arthur Kane that was also over-the-top. \u00a0He was rich, super smart, knew karate, and was a mechanical genius. \u00a0Even though I hadn’t finished Strange in a Strange Land\u00a0<\/em>before I started writing, I feel like this type of writing was present in the other Heinlein books I’d read. \u00a0His influence on my early writing is clear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Religion<\/h3>\n

I found the exploration of religion extremely interesting. \u00a0I saw the Fosterites with their hedonism, commercialism, and political and military influence as an exaggerated version of today’s Christian right. \u00a0When Michael talks about initiates in his church, he refers to them as marks. \u00a0Indeed, everyone that attends a church in the book is made out to be a dupe getting suckered by carnies. \u00a0When it comes to church in Stranger in a Strange Land<\/em>, the game is always rigged.<\/p>\n

Once people have made it far enough into Michael’s church, they realize that it isn’t a church at all. \u00a0They become part of the community and they’re no longer treated like suckers. \u00a0Their enlightenment is that every creature that can understand, that can grok, is God. \u00a0Thou art God.<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, Jubal Harshaw, the patron saint of Michael’s church, the figure that Michael claims to be capable of grokking fully even without learning Martian, is an atheist. \u00a0He is the last to join Michael’s home, and he never gives up his agnostic views.<\/p>\n

It’s also interesting that the Christ-like figure of Michael is brought to an ultimate conclusion as a martyr. \u00a0Having delivered his message and done what he needed to do in a corporeal body, he discorporated.<\/p>\n

In Stranger in a Strange Land<\/em>, all religions are true. \u00a0And none of them are. \u00a0I don’t believe Heinlein intended to give us any answers. \u00a0I believe he just tried to make people think and discuss. \u00a0However, if he was projecting his own philosophy anywhere, I’d guess it was through the pragmatic viewpoint of Jubal Harshaw.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Left Versus Right<\/h3>\n

Just as Heinlein can’t avoid bringing bits of his culture into his writing, I can’t avoid bringing bits of my own into it when reading. \u00a0Consequently, I saw reflections of our present day in the pages of Stranger in a Strange Land<\/em>.<\/p>\n

All of the protagonists lean so far left that their homes describe perfect socialist utopias. \u00a0In Jubal Harshaw’s home, people work for Jubal, but they’re treated as family. \u00a0They eat together. \u00a0They play together. \u00a0While sex is not quite as free as it is in Michael’s home, it isn’t discouraged.<\/p>\n

Michael’s home goes even further. \u00a0Money and possessions and clothing are things that are used outside the home. \u00a0The relationships are polygamous. \u00a0There is no place for jealousy. \u00a0All are equal, for all are God. \u00a0Michael is described as a first among equals and is given reverence, but only to a point.<\/p>\n

The protagonists are definitely bleeding heart lefty liberals, with their free love and socialist living. \u00a0And in the context of the story, taken to the ultimate conclusion, they are superior and closer to natural order. \u00a0They have control of their bodies. \u00a0They are happy. \u00a0They move with purpose. \u00a0They need not fear death, because they are spiritual, enlightened beings.<\/p>\n

Who are the antagonists, then? \u00a0The Fosterites, certainly. \u00a0And as I said before, they’re very much Tea Party right wingers taken to the extreme. \u00a0They seek money and power. \u00a0They borrow scripture from Christianity without actually living lives that follow that religion. \u00a0And they are intolerant of any other faith or way of life. \u00a0They are destructively evangelical.<\/p>\n

Joseph Douglas and his police forces are antagonists for a while. \u00a0 I believe the police are even described as “S.S. troupes.” though I might be mistaken as a fault of listening rather than reading.<\/p>\n

In the end, it’s the police state influenced by the Fosterites that closes in on Michael and his home. \u00a0As he is being killed, the news media keeps cutting to commercials. \u00a0The media is unemotional in broadcasting the gruesome destruction of someone preaching love and hope. \u00a0They continue to smile while that’s going on, peddling products with commercial glee.<\/p>\n

I don’t want to go too much into the reflections I see with present day reality because some of my conclusions aren’t particularly flattering. \u00a0I don’t mind offending people, but it’s not what I’m setting out to do in this post.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

I enjoyed Strainger in a Strange Land<\/em>. \u00a0If for no other reason, the nostalgia from reading a Robert Heinlein story was fantastic. \u00a0Beyond that, I liked picking out (or perhaps guessing at) the world Heinlein lived in when he wrote the book. \u00a0He set out to write a story that would make people think and get them talking. \u00a0I think he succeeded.<\/p>\n

If you have not read it before, I recommend it. \u00a0But don’t go in lightly. \u00a0Be prepared for some viewpoints that would not survive the world we live in today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About 30 years ago, I read The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. \u00a0It was my first adventure outside of kids’ books, and the first Robert Heinlein story I ever read. \u00a0I think I was with my Dad at a supermarket when we picked up the paperback off a rack. \u00a0That book started my Heinlein phase, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=876"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":877,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876\/revisions\/877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}