Every day people witness the horrors and atrocities in society caused by differing human ideologies, but what would it be like in a world where a computer could solve all of the humanity’s problems? The short story, “All the Troubles of the World,” by Isaac Asimov is a story about the super computer, Multivac and its desires to die because it can no longer stand carrying the weight of society’s problems. In the story, the author effectively expresses the theme of the story which is that no being is superior enough to solve all of the world’s problems through the use of literary devices such as setting, narration, and characterization .
An additional eminent literacy device Asimov uses is the description of the setting of the story. The setting …show more content…
In the beginning Asimov writes Multivac to be similar to a god-like figure; a character that is worshipped by the people. Later on, that holy image of Multivac is demolished and Multivac is shown to be a fragile being. Asimov has used Multivac’s journey to show that even someone thought to be great can break. For instance, Asimov states in the story that Multivac “has a reputation to maintain” (Asimov 265). This quotation shows that Multivac is viewed by the people as a vital part of their system, much like how people would treat a god. Later on, we see the people realising that Multivac cannot solve the world problems as it too can be affected by the hideousness of the world. “Multivac bears all the troubles of the world on its back and it is tired”(Asimov 281) is an ideal example of the previous statement. At the end after all the characters have realized Multivac cannot do this anymore, Multivac itself speaks up and says, “I want to die” (Asimov 281).This shows that Multivac no longer has the willpower to continue and is not the superior figure the people had once thought it was. In totality, the destruction of Multivac’s character showed the audience that even such a potent being could not solve all the problems of the world. Ultimately, Asimov’s use of setting, narration, and characterization to effectually communicate the theme just goes to show what an impressive author he is. “All of the Troubles of the World,” is truly a heartrending story of how no matter how great a being, no one can rid the world of problems. The idea humanity’s problems could break such a strong being is extremely upsetting. Do people really carry that much of a burden all through their
An additional eminent literacy device Asimov uses is the description of the setting of the story. The setting …show more content…
In the beginning Asimov writes Multivac to be similar to a god-like figure; a character that is worshipped by the people. Later on, that holy image of Multivac is demolished and Multivac is shown to be a fragile being. Asimov has used Multivac’s journey to show that even someone thought to be great can break. For instance, Asimov states in the story that Multivac “has a reputation to maintain” (Asimov 265). This quotation shows that Multivac is viewed by the people as a vital part of their system, much like how people would treat a god. Later on, we see the people realising that Multivac cannot solve the world problems as it too can be affected by the hideousness of the world. “Multivac bears all the troubles of the world on its back and it is tired”(Asimov 281) is an ideal example of the previous statement. At the end after all the characters have realized Multivac cannot do this anymore, Multivac itself speaks up and says, “I want to die” (Asimov 281).This shows that Multivac no longer has the willpower to continue and is not the superior figure the people had once thought it was. In totality, the destruction of Multivac’s character showed the audience that even such a potent being could not solve all the problems of the world. Ultimately, Asimov’s use of setting, narration, and characterization to effectually communicate the theme just goes to show what an impressive author he is. “All of the Troubles of the World,” is truly a heartrending story of how no matter how great a being, no one can rid the world of problems. The idea humanity’s problems could break such a strong being is extremely upsetting. Do people really carry that much of a burden all through their