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Essay On The Mermaid In James Tiptree's Subworld

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Within every fantasy story, there seems to be a common factor that each shares with the other. This common factor is a supernatural “something” that is used in every fantasy story. This “something” is often a character, an object that the characters in the story encounter, or an ability that characters have. First, in “Lila the Werewolf” by Peter S. Beagle, it is the character of Lila who becomes a werewolf during full moons. Second, in “Beyond the Dead Reef” by James Tiptree Jr., it is the mythical object of a mermaid made of garbage. Lastly, in “Subworld” by Phyllis Eisenstein, it is the characters’ ability to become as small as a subway rat. The common factor of a supernatural characteristic is what draws readers into fantasy stories. Peter …show more content…

(Alice Bradley Sheldon) uses the mythical object of a mermaid made of garbage to bring the reader into her world of fantasy in the story as well as to serve as a warning about the future. Tiptree describes the mermaid as one that is made of “all sorts of pieces of plastic, rope, styrofoam, netting, crates, and bolts— much of it clothed with that torn translucent white polyethylene for skin…” (Tiptree p. 384). Although the mermaid lacks mobility, it is able to reach out towards the man who found her. The town that the narrator of the story presides in is described by the following quote: “The effluvia of half a dozen hotels and the town behind ran out of pipes that were barely covered at low tide; only a few parrot-fish, who can stand anything, remained by the hotel-side restaurants to feed on the crusts the tourists threw them from their tables” (Tiptree p. 374) This description of the town shows the reader how a once beautiful town can be destroyed through pollution from tourism and industrialization. The mermaid is interesting in a sense that is magical, but it serves as a warning on what may happen in response to the harm that humans have caused. The man who found the mermaid says, “I can’t put it into words. It has something to do with the idea that the sea is still, well, strong. Perhaps it can take revenge?” (Tiptree p. 386) Tiptree is able to use the mermaid as an example of the power of nature to evolve which may one day take back all that humans …show more content…

Donny’s father describes what he saw in the following quote: “Her arms and legs thinned, her torso flattened, her head flattened, her face protruded into a snow. Her clothes melted into gray fur, and a long, thin tail took shape at the base of her spine. She was a mouse…” (Eisenstein p. 399) He describes the transformation between human and mouse that he sees when he asks for proof that the appearance was an illusion. These people have lived together in the Subworld for a long stretch of time. The author uses this ability to indirectly ask the question of taking responsibility for oneself when it comes to important life decisions. As the reader learns more about Donny’s home life and about the lives that the civilians of the Subworld once lived, it easy to determine that they had once been under stressful and important situations or occupations before they decided to move into the Subworld. Donny says, “I lost mass, lived off it, until I reached the point where my intake could support me. I only weigh a few ounces now… I can’t go back to my old size” (Eisenstein p. 407). Donny explains that one caveat of escaping to the Subworld is the inability to return to a regular-sized human. Eisenstein indirectly asks whether it is best to take responsibility for oneself or to escape to a world where there

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