Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World - Coursera Assignment 7
A Princess of Mars & Herland
John Carter and Terry O. Nicholson were adventurers with qualities of rugged individualism and pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. Whether leaving a trail of bodies across the surface of Mars, or routing out a lost tribe in the rainforest, Carter and Nicholson made their own luck. Prosperity could be had by one and all as long as the good fight was fought. These ideals make them the perfect poster boys for Manifest Destiny.
Burroughs's Carter and Gilman's Nicholson represent the dream of personal freedom and economic advancement that were cornerstones in the United States’ westward expansion during the mid-1800’s. The country’s population increased, and fiscal crises prompted the government to broaden its economy. In the wake of acquiring more land, the seeds of wealth and self-governance were planted. However, Native Americans and persons of non-European ancestry weren’t invited to reap the benefits of Manifest Destiny.
John Carter had a vision of what made an officer and a gentleman. He could hold his own as a self-made man against the savage Apache. As soon as his expedition took him from Arizona to outer space, he viewed the inhabitants of Mars in a similar vein. Carter had preconceived notions about how society should function, and he knew how to exploit Martian resources to his advantage.
Terry Nicholson, Carter’s counterpart in another time and place, embarked on his own voyage of discovery that brought him to Herland where, before long, he was seeing dollar signs. Nicholson was a man of privilege, and he thought everyone should be able to bankroll jungle excursions. Paradise was ripe for the picking thanks to the efforts of a society that Nicholson despised.
Carter and Nicholson considered destiny something created through hard work and ingenuity. However, not every dream can manifest itself, and many are left behind in the mad dash towards exceptionalism.
Works Cited:
Greenberg, Amy S. Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion: A Brief History with Documents
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. A Princess of Mars
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland
Posted by: |