WEEK 9 - Space Opera: "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester

The Stars My destination is essentially a book about revenge where the main protagonist, Gully, is initially changed from a mindless drone to a mindless predator, then a showman and finally a rounded and compassionate human being. Without spoiling the ending for those who haven't yet read it, I will say one thing-- Gully was incredibly lucky to survive, as were his targets. He was not alone in seeking revenge: Olivia Presteign sought to pay back all of humanity for her blindness and isolation. The Outer Planets sought revenge against the Inner for economic collapse, while the Inner Planets sought revenge against the Outer for the nuclear attacks. Even the proud Lindsey Joyce sought revenge on herself for her crimes; a martyr of sorts. All of these groups and individuals were changed, some for the better, some for the worse-- but none would ever be the same again.

Gully Foyle is left stranded for 170 days in space on the wreck of the Nomad with not a single thought or hope... other than that of day-to-day survival. None, that is, until a passing ship, the Vorga, spurns his distress signals. In his despair Gully is changed into a driven man, one that will not stop until he has his vengeance on those that left him to die. He was scarred in face and mind by his experience of abandonment and rescue; consumed by a burning hatred for those who left him to die until there was no humanity left - only the predator, thus giving this novel the alternative title, "Tiger! Tiger!"

The future here in "The Stars My Destination" is not bright; it is dark and desolate. There are no heroes to swoop in and save the day. Everyone is out for no one but for themselves-- traitors to everyone and everything except their own gain. Gully is an antihero, who demands our empathy because of his simplicity and endurance, but at the same time disgusts us because of his violent nature. Which of us could survive like he survived? Which of us would seek vengeance like him? He is simply rage personified. His antagonists are immoral; he is amoral. He is hate focused, with no thought for those in the way. He is an arrow, seeking its target without any hesitation.

By part two of the book however, his quest makes him grow and change-- much of this change being conveyed by this small poetic sample that can be found in the book:

Gully Foyle is my name

And Terra is my nation

Deep space is my dwelling place

And death's my destination.

By the time he finds his true object of hatred it has already become his true love. In the end he finds ambiguity, complexity, and his humanity. His redemption holds a paradox at its heart: the ultimate loner who saved himself through those he betrayed. He has become more of a sympathetic character. His disguises and the aftermath of his tattoos force him to attain self control. Though still driven by the need for revenge, he does start to achieve the moral high-ground over his foes and forgiveness from those he has wronged in his quest. By the end we are totally on Gully’s side. 

In regards to the circumstances under which this book was written (approximately ten years after atomic bombs ended WWII), the book overall has an undercurrent of fear of nuclear destruction. It would seem, especially after reading this novel, that Bester saw in them the potential for universal destruction that we need to resolve and come to terms with.