A Critique of Arthur C. Clarke’s The Star

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In The Star by Arthur C. Clarke (Clarke 44-49), an astrophysicist and Jesuit priest’s faith is challenged when he and his crew discover the remaining artifacts of a destroyed civilization. He learns that the advanced civilization lived on an earth-like planet in another solar system, and they spent their final years building a vault (filled with their achievements and artifacts) on their outermost planet, which was distant enough to survive the supernova. After the discovery of the dead race’s artifacts, the Jesuit priest finds himself questioning God. The story ends with an ironic twist, as the main character realizes that the beacon that shined above Bethlehem when Jesus was born was the same supernova that ended the distant race.
The story showed the struggles of the Jesuit priest as he tried to balance his findings of the wiped out civilization with his religious beliefs. He doesn’t understand why God would destroy an entire world filled with human-like people for no reason. He believes God would have to be cruel, or not exist at all. The character’s inner pain and conflict was evident as he held onto his faith until his calculation of the supernova pulled the last straw. In the end, he seems to come to the conclusion that there is no God.
There are two types of conflict seen in the story. The Jesuit priest had a world of inner conflict within himself and with his crew members, who did not believe in God and were amused that a Jesuit priest was also their chief astrophysicist. He had pride, and the thought of giving into the idea that God didn’t exist was a sad one to him. I believe the character felt defeated in the end as he finally gave up on his faith. The main character also mentions that even though few of his crew membe...

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...o detail about supernovas, it lost my interest a bit because I wanted the story to pick up pace and continue with the priest’s discovery.
Overall, The Star is thought-provoking and a good read. However, I don’t believe this short story is for everyone. This story would probably appeal more to people who love philosophy and science fiction, as it pertains to outer space and human beliefs. I am not surprised that the short story was a big hit win it came out, nor am I shocked that Arthur C. Clarke won the Hugo Award for it, as it was well-deserved.

Works Cited

1. Clarke, Arthur C. “The Star.” World Views: Classic and Contemporary Readings. 6th ed. Ed. Darren Felty, et al. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2010. 44-49. Print.
2. Crayne, Victory. "How to Critique Fiction." Victory Crayne. Victory Crayne, 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.crayne.com/howcrit.html.

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