Interstellar Consequences In The Cold Equation

Interstellar Consequences The numbers calculate and recalculate relentlessly; factoring in the mass of the ship, its cargo, the precise weight of the single pilot, and the velocity in which the vessel will travel. They take no time to consider that an unforeseen variable could spiral into the equation. The algorithm developed to produce their answer leaves no room for error, after-all it is a formula birthed by the forces that keep planets spinning and maintain gravitational pressure, human hands cannot alter the design of such a thing. The product of the equation is exact. There are never miscalculations, only misconceptions about what the answer should have been made within the mind. The mind and its muddled morals, nor its perception …show more content…
There are three main conflicts at work; Barton struggles with the internal conflict of coming to terms with having to be the one to end a young girl’s life, Marilyn struggles to come to terms with the consequences that are a product of her decision, and both characters struggle with the harsh, unmalleable, laws of nature. Internal conflict, a struggle within the mind, is seen from the very first moment Marilyn steps out of the closet, “He stared without speaking, his hand dropping away from the blaster, and acceptance of what he saw coming like a heavy and unexpected physical blow. The stowaway was not a man — she was a girl...Had it been asked in the deep, defiant voice of a man, he would have answered...It would not have taken long; within a minute the body would have been ejected into space — had the stowaway been a man” (Godwin 2-3). At first Barton tries to reject the reality of what he must do, entertaining the idea of there being an alternative, but as the story progresses his hope for there somehow being a way around protocol recedes, becoming a distant memory. At the same time Barton struggles within himself, Marilyn is in turmoil as reality seeps in. She quickly begins to realize that her actions were not as innocuous as she thought. “She searched his face, and the unwillingness to believe left her eyes, giving way slowly to a look of dazed horror...You’re going to make me …show more content…
Godwin crafts his world within the cold galactic frontier; in doing so he implements suspense from the very first line. Space is man’s “final frontier.” Humans seem to have an infatuation with the galaxies and the great beyond that they have yet to explore. They fervently yearn to impact the very thing that has been an inspiration for centuries and because of this Godwin captivates the reader even before dialogue is introduced. He does not simply place his characters upon a newly colonized planet, but instead he has them carry on his story at a relatively random point in space; he leaves his audience left wondering what it would be like to be in such a scenario. His sci-fi world is given just enough detail to give the reader a place within the story, making the audience feel like the fly on the wall, left to suffer watching the inevitable. Godwin induces suspense when the readers wait for Marilyn to contact her brother’s base so that she can speak to him once last time. The time is emphasized more and more as it begins to run thin. "It was 18:37 when she folded the letter in a square and wrote a name on it. She began writing another, twice looking up at the chronometer, as though she feared the black hand might reach its rendezvous before she had finished. It was 18:45 when she folded it as she had done the first letter and wrote a name and address on it" (Godwin 12). Suspense also stems from the first person narrative;