The Lucky Strike By Greg Bear Analysis

Sacrifice is a generalization of the endless inner turmoil of suffering and an extension of the lone wings of passion. It is an investment in the vestige of honor and a projection nobility. Sacrifice is a sacred, holy ideal that we often times try to hold ourselves to while facing the opposition of what is socially expected and morally irrelevant. The way sacrifice manifests in an individual’s psyche prescribes his or her actions. This is evident in the central characters in both of the short stories “The Lucky Strike” by Kim Stanley Robinson and “Blood Music” by Greg Bear. Both characters face enormous, ethical decisions made popular by the standard stereotypes in the realm of science fiction. They both are presented with a world-changing, …show more content…
Edward is an old English name meaning guard, guardian, and protector. In a desperate attempt to save the world from being overtaken by nano-robot technology, Edward kills his friend: the inventor and the host of the cellular nano-bots. Edward’s own morality can be questioned through the rashness, unthoughtful nature of his spur of the moment choice to electrocute Vergil by throwing a lamp in his bath. Edward kills one to save many. In one sense, he gives up or sacrifices his morality to save billions. In another sense, it could be argued that his moral, steely resolve to kill Vergil just radiated his love for the existence of humanity and his want to save the human …show more content…
He was referring to the disposability of microorganisms, clearly illustrating how their existence and worth is less than that of a human. Ultimately, Edward commits the inverse of this idea. He kills a hundred billion occupied in one to save the many. In many ways, it was Vergil’s masculinity that killed him. From another perspective, it was Edward’s sensitivity to femininity that allowed him to see the possible implications of robotic cells mingling with the entirety of the human