Cindy Camacho

Professor Loren Eason

Writing 37

January 23, 2016

                                                                Comparing “The Cold Equation” and “Hinterland”

            Science fiction is a genre involving fiction and inventive concepts revolving around technology and science. In this essay, I’ll be comparing “The Cold Equation” by Tom Godwin and “Hinterland” by William Gibson. I’ll be analyzing how both authors touch upon the morals and feelings of the characters, and I’ll be connecting the stories to real life.  

The moral aspect of the story deals with the idea of the “Trolley Problem”. It was originally created by Philippa Foot in the late 1900’s to test human morals. This experiment is based on a scenario in which you have a lever that controls train tracks. The train is headed toward a group of people and they can be saved if the lever is pulled and the tracks are redirected to a path where there is only one person. Who dies depends solely on one’s judgement and moral standing.

This issue is seen in “The Cold Equation” since there’s a dilemma of whose death provokes least casualty. In his story, Godwin uses pathos so the reader connects to him, emphasizing the internal battel Barton is dealing with. Barton is a pilot of an Emergency Dispatch Ship (EDS) he is faced with an unwanted circumstance when he finds Marilyn, a stowaway. Barton’s orders are to execute stowaways, but after interacting with her and learning her reasons he is hesitant to kill her. Barton realizes she isn’t trying to cause harm, which only makes the situation more difficult. In “The Cold Equation” Barton’s EDS has limited fuel to deliver medicine to six men. Godwin mentions Marylin as “x, the unwanted factor in a cold equation.” (Godwin). This quote is significant because in a carefully calculated equation to get Barton from point A to point B she was unaccounted for and the fuel isn’t enough, meaning she had to be removed from the ship for Barton to finish his mission. As James Gunn mentions in the article “There is No Such Thing as Science Fiction”, anyone who thinks “The pilot should have found a way to sacrifice himself for the girl…isn’t reading the story correctly.” (Vint and Bould 2009). I read Gunn’s stance and noticed there’s not always a successful conclusion in life, the decision between the life of one person compared to the six men although difficult, it shouldn’t be much of a question. In the end the laws of science don’t accommodate or change for human desires.

            In “Hinterland” there is an entire profession to keep cosmonauts from ending their life, but the “Trolley Problem” was still a common theme. The protagonist, Toby is a surrogate which means he’s matched to a cosmonaut that has returned from space exploration trying to find a cure for cancer. As Gibson stated "Looks like you're her surrogate, Toby.  Her profile syncs with Taylor's, but he's on leave."(Gibson). Toby’s task is to keep cosmonauts from committing suicide after having witnessed the unimaginable. This quotes is significant because the fact they are “synced” means they are mentally compatible, eventually leading for the surrogate to feel a connection or attachment to the cosmonaut. The reason cosmonauts were sent out to space was to find “seashells” which held the cure for cancer. Even though it was known the returnees were most likely to commit suicide after their travels they were sent out regardless because the death of a couple didn’t compare to the death of all the sick people. Gibson brings up “damn all the ones who bring things home, who bring cancer cures, seashells…It’s something we carry with us, no matter how far from home.” (Gibson). This quote proves that all the feelings Toby is feeling are irrepressible and at times get the best of him because he sees his cosmonaut so traumatized. Toby, along with all the other surrogates do get attached to their cosmonauts and the idea of keeping them alive.

Furthermore, “The Cold Equation” and “Hinterland” can both be considered satire taking into account the period in which each story was written. Godwin uses “The Cold Equation” to communicate events or outcomes of The Cold War, since the story was written in 1954 and the war began in 1945. For example, the USSR and the U.S were originally going to space together, which connects to the storyline about space in Godwin’s story. Similarly, Gibson’s language in “Hinterland” can be connected to the parties involved in World War II. For example, the names of the characters are from different parts of the world, like Toby is American, Charmain is French, and Hiro is Japanese. The fact that they work together and are in the same space craft can symbolize the partnerships that occurred in WWII between the different countries. As I analyzed the stories I could see it being satire since many books at the time were written to nonchalantly criticize the government. Being aware that stories are always open to interpretation I read up on the facts about each war and could make some connections.

Both Godwin and Gibson wanted to show the space navigation part of Science Fiction through their storyline, since it deals with space and air crafts. Overall their stories do have more of a hidden meaning about human morals and how human emotions affect people’s decisions.

Work Cited

1. Cassani Davis, Lauren. “Would You Pull the Trolley Switch? Does it Matter?”

The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/10/trolley-problem-history-psychology-morality-driverless-cars/409732/

2. Gibson, William. Arbor House Publishing Company, 1986.
3. Godwin, Tom. The Cold Equation. Baen Publishing Enterprise, 2003.
4. Vint and Bould. “There is No Such Thing as Science Fiction” Reading Science Fiction

2009, Pg. 43-51.