Jubal Harshaw

“Thou art God.” With these three words, he has been able to describe himself, and other creative/destructive beings that live upon the Earth as God. Not only have these words made an impression on individual characters, but also their communities. Jubal Harshaw is one of the few characters that Heinlein voices his thoughts through. With his advice and guidance, Mike convinced the world that he could make a paradise; a utopia. Politics and space foreign affairs were some of the major ideas in Stranger

Stranger in a Strange Land is a book written by Robert A. Heinlein that completely throws away the social mores of the late fifties/ early sixties society. The book opens with a ship returning from a trip to Mars with an interesting passenger, a man, Michael Valentine Smith who was the son of a previous voyage to Mars that was believed to be entirely dead. This was a human raised by Martians, who are an ancient race that has various powers that are discovered later in the book to be possessed by

as none of Smith’s biological heritage is discussed in the novel. The title instead metaphorically relates to the adoptive family Smith finds among Jill, Jubal Harshaw, and his servants. With his innocence and naïveté, Smith’s perception of the world is completely structured from his environment under the guidance of Jubal and his coterie. Jubal immediately begins to treat Smith with a fatherly fondness, and everybody in the household begins affectionately referring to him as “Mike.” This leads Mike

simultaneously teaching his friends and followers what it means to be Martian. Jubal

reporter, and Jill Boardman, a nurse at the hospital that is holding Smith, plot to free “The Man from Mars.” However, the government becomes aware of the rouse, and kidnap Ben. With no one left to turn to, Jill brings Smith to Jubal Harshaw, whom provides protection for Smith. Jubal is a lawyer that helps Michael understand the world through his abundance of books and knowledge. At first, Smith

Jubal holds a perpetual fondness for sculptures, and throughout the novel they repeatedly betoken the fate of The Man from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith. After Michael left his mentor, Jubal, in order to teach humanity what he calls “Truth”, Jubal is visited by Ben Caxton, a liberal columnist and old friend to Jubal, who came to express his concerns for the untraditional sexual practices of the church that Mike founded. Before given a chance, Jubal shows his collection of sculptures, starting with

The late 1950s and early 1960s fostered an era of extreme social turmoil. The events of the Cold War combined with the emergence of counterculture movements led the United States in a direction that would permanently change American society. The constant threat of nuclear bombardment provided a platform to criticize traditional modes of authority, while lacking ideals of women’s rights and religious tolerance built upon that platform. Robert Heinlein, a science fiction writer, was one of many in

begins with a list of some of the major characters in Stranger in a Strange Land and a summary of the plot in the novel as well. At first, Williams and Nelles discuss Jubal Harshaw’s role in the novel as someone who expresses pessimistic views on society’s faith, politics, and values. Before Michael Smith starts to learn through Harshaw of American ideals and civilization, Williams and Nelles state that Smith represents the purest of all humans. In addition, Smith’s first name, Valentine, symbolizes

In society there are people who lead with authority and those who follow. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, and government officials are just a few of the people in society that provide people with a sense of right and wrong, giving advice and guidance through hardship. Society is grateful for those who they believe are all-knowing individuals who will only do right by them. These teachers and government officials in society are the equivalent to “Old Ones” in Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a

In Robert Heinlen’s science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, he examines the peculiar journey of Valentine Smith (Mike), a human raised by Martians. While the idea of Michael’s sole ownership of Mars and vast fortune are initially engaging, perhaps the most riveting aspect of Michael’s story is his adaption to the human way of life, love, and eventually religion. Throughout Michael’s journey he is often the subject of alienation, mainly due to his Martian ideologies, which entail group