The uzbekistan state world languages university english faculty II

CHAPTER II. ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL "THE END OF ETERNITY" AND OTHER WORKS OF THE WRITER FANTASY ASIMOV SOCIAL CREATIVE

2.1. Social issues in the novel "The End of Eternity"

The End of Eternity is a novel by American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. Written in 1955. Considered by some authors to be Asimov's best work, or at least one of the best.
The novel describes the activities of an organization called Eternity, in which the so-called eternals work, existing outside of time. Eternity controls times and Realities with the help of the so-called Wells of Time, however, you can only travel through those centuries that come after the 27th (the century in which Eternity is founded); the centuries before the 27th belong, in the terminology of the eternals, to Primitive history. Time travel requires a huge amount of energy, but Eternity has almost unlimited energy coming from the distant future. With the help of a device called a mass duplicator, it was possible to create, at virtually no cost, in all centuries (even those that were not actually used by Eternity) the same type of Sectors of Eternity, in which the Eternals may live and work, and from which they may penetrate into the appropriate age. The sectors of Eternity are outside of ordinary time, the so-called bio-time flows in them, which the Eternals cannot control.
Eternity uses specific professional terminology. For example, since time in the ordinary sense does not have a meaning there, the term "biotime" is used, although in everyday communication the rule is rarely observed. Also, for a similar reason, the directions and positions of ordinary time are not defined as, for example, future and past, but specific terms are used, such as upwhen, downwhen, somewhen, and anywhen.
Regarding Reality Changes, the terms MNR (Minimum Required Impact) and MOR (Maximum Expected Response) are used.
The Eternals contact the timemen (as they call those who do not serve in Eternity) and carry out trade between different centuries, but hide from the time the most important thing - that Eternity is making changes in human history, called Reality Changes. The purpose of these changes is, as the Eternals believe, the good of mankind, since the negative effect of these changes is usually offset by the positive. Eternals prevent wars, catastrophes, epidemics. Interestingly, almost always a side effect of the Reality Changes is the disappearance of spaceships as a technology, though not necessarily in the same century that underwent the change.
All Reality Changes are carefully calculated by the Eternals, and there are no organizations trying to oppose Eternity, so her actions are always successful.
Usually, a Reality Change that occurs affects the century in which it occurred and subsequent ones, but over time, its influence begins to become weaker and after a certain number of centuries it ceases to be noticeable at all.
Changes in reality have become such a frequent occurrence that for the Eternals, the history of mankind has ceased to be an unshakable and unchanging phenomenon. However, the Timemen are unaware of these changes, so the Timemen who begin service in Eternity usually experience the shock of realizing that they will never see their loved ones again, who may disappear or change drastically during multiple Reality Changes.
All people working in Eternity are divided into Specialists and Workers.
Eternity is replenished at the expense of timemen, which are selected for service in Eternity in their native centuries. The future Eternal must have certain abilities, but the main selection condition is the absence of serious Reality Changes after the disappearance of this person from his century. You can't be born forever. Usually in Eternity they are selected at a young age. There are almost no women in Eternity, as their disappearance leads to too many Reality Changes.
After entering Eternity, a person goes through 3 periods:
- Apprentice (apprenticeship lasts quite a long time, for example, Harlan (the main character) was an apprentice for 10 years);
- Observer - a person who makes observations in Time in different centuries and reports them to Eternity; this position is less prestigious than the position of specialist, however, the Observers are the "eyes" of the Eternals, and all Changes are calculated according to their Observations.
- Specialist. Over time, most observers become specialists. The following professions are described in the book:
Calculators, with the help of computer technology, calculate which Reality Changes need to be carried out to achieve the desired goals; Calculators seem to have the most influence among the Eternals;
Sociologists are building a "Psychological Characteristic of Society" that serves as the basis for Change;
Calculators (planners) - performing the Calculation of the Destiny of a single person (or its Analogue) in one or another Change;
Statisticians perform primary processing of data collected by observers;
Administrators deal with the organizational matters of Eternity;
Techniques - determine and perform the Minimum Required Actions (MNV), which lead to Changes in Reality. Since it is the actions of technicians that lead to Changes in Reality, which have not only positive, but also negative consequences (“The technician yawned - a million people turned over”), technicians are despised in Eternity. Technicians are in the position of outcasts, having little to no contact with other Eternals or with each other.
The novel does not say if there are any other professions, and the tasks of the representatives of each profession are not entirely clear.
Employees (Non-Specialists) perform non-prestigious service related work. These include, for example, signalmen. Employees are replenished at the expense of students who did not pass the test at the end of training, as well as at the expense of demoted Specialists. There are about 10 times more Workers than Specialists, and they form the basis of Eternity, ensuring its existence.
Time is divided by Eternals into Centuries - this is how centuries are called in the Russian translation of the novel. Each Century has a separate state, and the furnishings in the section are as close as possible to those of the Century. Contact between the states of too distant centuries seems to be rare. The law states that no Eternal can serve within two centuries of native time under any circumstances. Preferably the appointment is in Centuries as close as possible to the Eternal's native time. In the event that the Eternal becomes too attached to the era of his service, he must be immediately moved. Some Centuries are described in more or less detail.
"Energy Centuries" are mentioned. Relatively rare. In them, everything that is possible is made from force fields, and the substance is considered as something barbaric.
In this century, as a result of Andrew Harlan's sabotage, Cooper fell when he (Cooper) was sent to the 24th century. In order to find Cooper and send him back to the 24th century, Andrew Harlan and Noyce Lambent traveled to that century, 1938 to be exact. In this century, Vikkor Mallanson invented a temporal field acquisition facility that allowed time travel and the creation of Eternity in the 27th century. Cooper was sent into the 24th century, ostensibly to help Vikkor Mallanson; in fact, to have Cooper replace Mallanson. However, due to Harlan's diversion, Cooper ended up in the 20th century instead.
In this century, Eternity was created. The earlier centuries belong, in the terminology of the eternals, to primitive history. Starting from this century, Eternity began to arrange changes in reality (before that, it was engaged only in intertemporal trade). In the 30th century, the first nuclear explosion occurred.
Harlan's Native Century. The society has a rural tone, nuclear energy is banned, the preferred building material is wood. Exports drinks to almost all Centuries, imports clover seeds. Harlan's first Reality Change was in this Century. It eliminated war in the 224th century.
Harlan's original duty station, where he met Noyce Lambent. Rough, materialistic and rather matriarchal. The moral is almost non-existent. Marriage is not legal. The only century that massively practices ectogenesis. At a certain period, servants - robots - were used by the upper classes. The class difference reached an extremely acceptable level for Eternity. Colors are preferred not bright, mostly white and pastel shades, as well as glass and porcelain.
The century where Harlan went to find out the fate of Noyce. "Molecular films" were used, which turned any surface into a mirror. The century that created electrogravity ships. Had a very high level of drug use.
Twissell's native time. People in this period are genetically compatible with people from earlier Centuries, but there are slight anatomical and metabolic differences.
Native century Noyce Lambent. When Harlan was taking her to the Hidden Centuries, she deliberately stopped the temporary elevator in that century's sector, pretending to do so without the intention of stopping in that particular century, she told Harlan that she allegedly stopped the elevator because she was scared by the large numbers on the counter of centuries.
“Hidden centuries” is the name given to the centuries in Eternity from 70,000 to 150,000. In these centuries, there are Sectors of Eternity, but it is impossible to get out of these sectors in time for reasons incomprehensible to the Eternals. After the 150,000th century, the penetration of time again becomes possible, but humanity no longer exists in these centuries.
Vikkor Mallanson is the mythical creator of the temporal field in the 24th Century (3 Centuries before the creation of Eternity). In addition, he predicted the main aspects of Eternity (except for the Change of Realities). In fact, a man named Vikkor Mallanson did not create anything, he died long before the creation of the temporal field.
Laban Twissell - Senior Calculator, Chairman of the Council of Times, head of the Vikkor Mallanson project. Calculated an incredible number of Changes. Heavy smoker. He was in Union with a woman from Time and has a son from her, for whom he prepared a miserable life in a wheelchair as a result of his own calculated Change. Twissel looks like a small wrinkled gnome.
Andrew Harlan - the main character of the novel, Technician, Twissell's personal Technician, "Wonder Technician", "Infallible Technician". He is fond of Primal History (history before the creation of Eternity), which was ideally suited for Twissell's goals in the Vikkor Mallanson project. In love with Noyce Lambent. This love was the cause of the destruction of Eternity.
Noyce Lambent is a woman from the Hidden Centuries (from 111,394th century), specially sent into Eternity to destroy it and minimize the likelihood of its occurrence. In love with Andrew Harlan (and long before they met in person). She posed as a Vremenko from the 482nd Century, briefly worked in Eternity with Finji, and then provided her home to Harlan, who stepped out into Time as a Watcher. During Harlan's stay in 482, she fell in love with him, and after completing the task, when Harlan learned that Noyce was personally affected by the Change, Harlan hid her in Eternity in the Hidden Centuries sector. Noyce blocked the Wells of Time herself, and in doing so, provoked Harlan into rash acts during Cooper's launch into the 24th Century, sending him to the 20th instead. Then when Harlan figured it out, she traveled with him to the 20s, ostensibly to search for Cooper. There, while in the annihilator's crosshairs, she convinces Harlan not to look for Cooper, thus destroying Eternity.
Brinsley Sheridan Cooper - Apprentice taught by Harlan in Primeval History and Twissell in the mathematics of temporal fields. As Harlan thought, Twissell was counting on dropping Cooper into the 24th Century to teach Vikkor Mallanson math and help create the temporal field. Subsequently, it turns out that Cooper is the real Vikkor Mallanson. The Vikkor Mallanson that Cooper taught died, and Cooper had to impersonate Mallanson and go through his whole fate himself. In his later years, Cooper realized that he was the real Vikkor Mallanson. Mallanson's biography, which he studied in Eternity, coincided in every detail with his own life in the 24th Century. The man who went down in history under the name of Vikkor Mallanson, the brilliant discoverer of the Time Field, was actually Brinsley Sheridan Cooper. This inspired Cooper to write Mallanson's Memoir, to make life easier for his Analogue when he returns to the 24th Century. It is clear that Twissell did not show Cooper this memoir, because Cooper was supposed to live his life in the 24th century exactly as he lived it. It was with the help of the Memoir that Twissell found among the many Analogues of that very Harlan and that very Cooper. It was Memoir who directed all of Twissell's actions.
Gobbi Finji - Calculator, jealous, inciting Twissell and for this he chose Harlan as a tool, whom he deliberately pushed to commit a crime. It is on Finji's mission that Harlan meets Noyce. According to Harlan, Gobbi Finji looks like Santa Claus (in the original, the American counterpart was Chris Kringle), either Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas (Harlan knew all three names from Primeval History), but the resemblance was purely external. Calculator Finzhi walks inaudibly, which was probably facilitated by the birth of Finzhi in the Energy Century.
August Sennor - Calculator, theorist of Paradoxes of Time. Completely devoid of hair on the head and body. He is fond of studying space travel time. I came to the conclusion that space travel is useless, therefore, is a harmful factor, and they should be eradicated from all Realities. This conclusion led to the fact that in all the Times controlled by Eternity, space travel did not take place, and only in the Hidden Centuries people reached the stars. But it turned out that all the worlds suitable for human life were already occupied by other races. This was the reason for the desire of people from the Hidden Centuries to destroy Eternity.
Kantor Voy is a Sociologist from the 2456th Century Sector. In his draft of the Change, Harlan found an error, corrected it himself by personally making an EOM, and in return for non-disclosure, asked for a confidential Fate Calculation for Noyce, taking into account the Change in her "native" Century.
Farouk Nero - Calculator from the 2456th Century, who, in fact, made the Calculation of Noyce's Fate.
For a long time there was only a censored translation by Yu. Estrin, made in Soviet times. In it, in particular: information about eugenics in the 482nd century was cut out, a description of the death of mankind was cut out, Noyce's words about the perniciousness of the system under which people can choose their future were replaced with words about the perniciousness of choosing the future of all people only by a handful of them.