Well .. this was interesting! I didn't mind reading this story at all, mainly because it was exciting to see what kind of crazy scene was going to unfold next.
I basically took from the story the idea that Dr. Ulla Hillstrom (with a slash through the "o") is entirely consumed with her science career, alotting zero time and/or attention to anything else. Her marriage has ended, she doesn't have much esteem and is avoidant of all things intrusive to her career driven life.
Ulla seems to be romantically tied to her bubble. She almost seems to personify it as she "pushed the cozy bubble away from her breasts and tried to stand up". If you didn't know she was talking about a bubble, you'd think she was talking about her lover!
So while she is outdoors in her virus suit (This being the first time anyone has ever done this for more than five or ten minutes), a flying cloak came to investigate this strange thing. Her bubble couldn't withstand the conditions (or maybe it just couldn't withstand her) and took off.
I think the story suggests that while it's good to have other interests, you should always take some time for yourself. Maybe James Phish is saying that it can be very easy to end up with nothing if we get lost in everything but our own well-being.
I also noted that Phish used a couple of metaphors throughout the story which really made the absurdity of Ulla's situation come to life. Although I think that I understand the main elements of the story, Im definitely looking forward to some further clarification in class!
1 comment:
It's James Blish!
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