Summary Of Edmond Hamilton's Story The Man Who Evolved

Edmond Hamilton’s story “The Man Who Evolved” is an exploration of what might occur in the chain of human evolution in the distant future. Despite a lack of actual science, or even actual scientific possibilities to back up the experiment presented, the story is considered an example of Science Fiction. The reasoning for this classification is that the story explores more than just evolutional possibilities. Hamilton presents a look at the reactions of un-evolved humans to the newly evolved Dr. John Pollard. Their horror and awe at each stage of his evolutionary transformation gives readers a reflection of their own aversion to different types of people, or the proverbial “other”. Yet, Hamilton’s story transcends what might be thought of as a reflection on race relations by demonstrating that the true horror of Pollard’s friends, Hugh Dutton and Arthur Wright, is …show more content…
A cliché thing that a child’s mother might say to them when someone else is, in the opinion of the child and mother, behaving in an odd manner would be “They don’t think like we do.” Thus, just as much as people separate due to difference in appearance, people also separate due to intellectual differences. Countries are generally populated by people who speak the same language and know the same historical facts. What an American learns about the American Revolution is likely to be contrasted greatly by what a British person learns about it. How then could these two people fully understand each other? Much like the First Principle in Kress’s story, modern society attempts to follow a “golden rule” of treating others the way you would have them treat you. Ironically, modern society’s version of the First Principle is the least demanding. It is much easier to treat people well without considering their side of the story, than it is to actually put yourself in their