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February 20, 2008
The Tripods are Coming
(Tim Jones)
Kewl! The Tripods,
the science fiction trilogy by John Christopher (real name Samuel
Youd), is one of the stories well known and oft quoted in our
household. My son even named his cat Ozzy, after the character
Ozymandias. We read the books and watched the BBC TV series until the
venerable VHS tape finally gave up the ghost a few years ago. We hadn't
given it much thought for a while, until my son found some video clips
on YouTube. It was fun rediscovering the series and covering old,
familiar ground. I'll have to look around and see if the series may be
found on DVD.
It occurred to me, after reading some comments on YouTube (always an intellectual treat) that the themes of the book could be interpreted as a slam at religion. I'd considered the idea before, but dismissed it, however... that was before Hitchens, Dawkins and Pullman labored to make the world safe for anti-religious bigotry, dragged it out of the closet and onto the New York Times Bestseller list.
For those unfamiliar with the story, the world has been conquered completely by aliens who travel around in gigantic tripods (okay, not terribly original, but consider it flattery to H.G. Wells) and the population are kept in line through the use of an electronic wire mesh "cap" that is stamped onto their cranium around the age of 16 (when young folk typically begin having serious rebellious thoughts) and that makes them content, docile and obedient to the tripods. The cap keeps them from thinking in certain ways, eliminates violent and deceitful thoughts, but also wonder and inventiveness. Human kind is restricted to about an 18th century level of technology. The heroes run away as their "capping day" draws near, in search of a secret enclave of human resistance, based on nothing but a rumor and a map picked up from a "vagrant" (a human whose capping has gone wrong, they are considered insane).
I never interpreted the story as anti-religious, and in fact saw the cap in much broader terms as the common tendency for the Spirit of the Age (any age) to become tyrannical and oppressive, or the readiness of people to give up thinking for themselves in exchange for the promise of peace and safety. These are human themes into which religion of one kind or another might figure... or not.
If the story was meant as a veiled anti-religious screed, it's odd that an unabashed religionist like myself would find so much in the story to relate to and delight in. To me, the Map could just as well represent Holy Scripture, the Resistance the Church, and the Cap atheistic materialism. I always assumed that once a person was capped, religious impulses would be the first thing to go.
I Googled around a bit and couldn't find any blatantly anti-religious sentiments attributable to to Mr. Youd (aka John Christopher), but I'd be interested to hear from someone who may know more.
Visit Tim Jones' blog, "Old World Swine"
Posted by Tim Jones in Books, Film and TV, Religion | Permalink
Comments
The story sounds very similar to the Star Trek episode Return of the Archons, which seems to me to have clearly been a slam at religion.
Posted by: Shane | Feb 20, 2008 10:52:39 AM
The story sounds very similar to the Star Trek episode Return of the Archons, which seems to me to have clearly been a slam at religion.
Of course, the basic motifs are common to many types of stories, some by religious writers or with religion-friendly elements. Various elements of the story could be compared to anything from A Wrinkle in Time to That Hideous Strength to, um, Battlefield: Earth. I think there may be some similar resonances in some of Tim Powers' stories as well, though I don't know for sure. Another obvious point of comparison is The Body Snatchers, but I don't know anything about Finney's views on religion.
In any case, too easy an inference from simple structural similarities in form to similarities in underlying meaning and intent would obviously be guilt by association.
Posted by: SDG | Feb 20, 2008 11:23:32 AM
*Waits for gratuitous It's-not-an-apologetics-blog-anymore comment*
Posted by: Scott W. | Feb 20, 2008 12:09:48 PM
Talking about the religious implications of certain aspects of the wider culture sure sounds like it might have some application to apologetics, but... yeah, I can hardly wait for someone to pop in and inform us all (again) that Jimmy hasn't blogged much in a while.
So? Cancel your subscription.
Posted by: Tim J | Feb 20, 2008 12:54:47 PM
How many people here can tell me the difference between "who's" and "whose"?
Posted by: tau gamma pi | Feb 20, 2008 2:59:14 PM
So? Cancel your subscription.
In that case, I DEMAND a refund!
Posted by: Duh | Feb 20, 2008 3:34:01 PM
tau gamma pi,
"Who's" is a contraction of "Who is." "Whose" is a possessive.
Posted by: David B. | Feb 20, 2008 3:39:48 PM
Tim J.,
So? Cancel your subscription.
Don't you mean a la William Buckley "Cancel you own ***dam subsciption!"?
Posted by: David B. | Feb 20, 2008 3:42:35 PM
er, "subscription."
Posted by: David B. | Feb 20, 2008 3:47:52 PM
David B.,
I believe tau gamma pi meant this bit from the illustrious Tim J.:
(a human who's capping has gone wrong, they are considered insane)
Posted by: Duh | Feb 20, 2008 3:52:09 PM
I don't think The Tripods trilogy is anti-religious. I first became aquainted with it when the Boy Scout magazine did a comic adaptation as a series. I didn't read it until college, when any anti-religious sentiment would have jumped out at me, seeing as I was living with a militant atheist and her giggly henchwoman at the time.
To me, it was clearly taking aim at Big Government and self-contradictory programs (like the sympathetic alien master who kills his female slave in order to "preserve" her youthful beauty).
Posted by: MissJean | Feb 20, 2008 4:54:07 PM
I just watched some of the show on YouTube. It looks like fun. Thanks!
Posted by: Mark Scott Abeln | Feb 20, 2008 9:20:37 PM
The most ingenious (& unpleasant) interpretation I've seen of the Tripods is that they represent the struggle against the Great Jewish Conspiracy. It does seem to take all kinds. Incidentally another book, The Guardians, was given a Christopher Medal by the Christophers .....
Posted by: Sam Youd | Feb 21, 2008 3:20:03 AM
Sam Youd?
Posted by: Tim J | Feb 21, 2008 6:08:19 AM
Thanks to those whom kindly corrected my grammer.
And spelling.
Posted by: Tim J | Feb 21, 2008 6:14:05 AM
Huh, I always thought it was an adventure story. Whaddayaknow.
Posted by: labrialumn | Feb 21, 2008 4:10:38 PM
Am I the only person who's never heard of this Tripods stuff?
Posted by: J.R. Stoodley | Feb 21, 2008 9:25:19 PM
Possibly. :) For a while, you couldn't find a library that didn't have John Christopher books in the kids' or YA section. But they've probably worn out or been deaccessioned in most libraries now.
Posted by: Maureen | Feb 22, 2008 5:44:30 PM
Never read the books, but wife and I enjoyed the BBC series back in the early 80s. Never inferred an anti-religious theme. My take was similar to Miss Jean's.
Posted by: Mike Petrik | Feb 23, 2008 6:42:03 AM
I remember the Tripods books as frighteningly amazing. I'm almost afraid to return to them and perhaps spoil the impression.
Posted by: Eileen R | Feb 23, 2008 11:23:56 AM
I'm with labrialumn. Admittedly, I read them when I was about 12 and anti-religious stuff went right over my head back then, which is fortunate because my parents had given up screening my books by then. (When your kid reads 3 or 4 books in a week, it's hard to keep up.)
Oh, and thanks for the post, Tim, because I had completely forgotten the title and author; just remembered that it was a good story and I wished I could find it and read it again.
Posted by: The Sojourner | Feb 24, 2008 5:30:53 AM
I believe I read these as a kid. Boy's Life magazine produced the story in comic form. The first was "The White Mountains". The second was "The City of Gold and Lead." I don't remember the third.
Posted by: David Tarvin | Feb 28, 2008 8:01:26 AM
Tim,
It appears that DVDs of The Tripods Series 1 are only available in PAL format (separate UK and Australian releases). According to this site some of the earlier UK pressings are region free, later pressings are coded region 2.
A Series 2 release was planned for last fall but has been pushed back.
Posted by: Edward | Feb 28, 2008 11:39:13 AM
Additionally, I did find a used region free edition of The Tripods Series 1 posted on the U.S. Amazon site. It is still PAL format though.
Posted by: Edward | Feb 28, 2008 11:41:00 AM
And finally, it looks like Disney/Touchstone is planning a movie version.
Posted by: Edward | Feb 28, 2008 11:43:40 AM
I read this blog as a fly on the wall, rarely commenting. It started out as an amazing page, unrivaled on the internet in terms of its intelligence and force.
Now it's degenerated nearly into a waste of space. Jimmy's really let this thing die.
And that's his right. It's his page. I can leave whenever I want. And I think I will leave now.
I'll probably be back in a year or so, see if anything picked up. If not, I'm sure it will be dead.
Posted by: Aristotle | Feb 29, 2008 12:56:07 PM
When you come back next year, Aristotle, I hope you'll have started your own website.
Posted by: MissJean | Mar 1, 2008 9:46:36 AM
"I hope you'll have started your own website"
Absolutely! Although, there are more good blogs NOW than I can keep up with.
It can be a temptation, drawing me away from other more pressing duties.
Posted by: Tim J. | Mar 1, 2008 11:27:40 AM
That capping thing sounds a lot like what my control-freak boss does to me when I dare to think or express an opinion. She doesn't use a cap, though -- just a put-down. Sometimes she starts talking right through what I'm saying. It's very effective--kind of like getting an electrical jolt every time you have an independent thought. :-(
Oh well...sorry for the pity party. But that's the association I immediately made when I read about the cap.
It also reminded me of that lobotomy-ish thing that's administered to the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange: It makes him docile and nonviolent, but it also takes away his capacity to appreciate music (Beethoven. specifically) and, in a real sense, his humanity.
Posted by: diane | Mar 2, 2008 12:02:27 AM
Another 19 days since you posted, Jimmy. 13 days since any of the substitutes posted (as good posts as they sometimes are).
Would love to hear from you, Jimmy. I hope all is healthy and well for you. God bless.
Posted by: Another ?? days... | Mar 4, 2008 8:32:02 PM
It's a fine line we have to walk. On the one hand we don't want to be annoying and demanding. This is Jimmy's blog and he can do whatever he wants with it, or nothing. Get too annoying and it will probably increase the chances he'll decide to discontinue it entirely.
On the other hand of course we would like to see the blog back to how it used to be and we can't help wondering what has caused the slowdown. I hope if it were something really bad Jimmy would write a post telling us (maybe not giving all the details of course) and asking for prayers.
Posted by: J.R. Stoodley | Mar 5, 2008 5:12:14 AM
Tim J,
What are all these good blogs you are talking about? Please provide me a list.
Posted by: Brent Robbins | Mar 5, 2008 8:46:18 AM
He wrote another series of children's book (Young Adult I guess) called The Prince in Waiting - which had a kind of odd Catholic bent. Basically a post apocalyptic England* that's gone back to a high medieval technological era. The main character is the crown prince (sort of) of the kingdom of Winchester. There's an interesting religious angle - definitely Catholic.
*his adult novels are all, so far as I know, post apocalyptic - and nice for setting the mood for England in the early 60s. They make a great comparison to 28 Days Later. I kept meaning to write an article....
Posted by: The Cranky Professor | Mar 5, 2008 11:56:43 AM
I agree with some of the comments above. I think the world of Jimmy and the other folks that contribute to this blog....but....SNORESVILLE for some time. The overall quality and blend of odd topics vs. Theology/apolgetics seems to have swung out of whack. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the posts on art, sci-fi (HUGE FAN OF BG) etc. but I do miss the stimulating theological posts. Between this blog's slowdown and Pontifications going off-line....well...I just miss the "old days" lol
Posted by: Tom H | Mar 5, 2008 3:04:19 PM
The Tripods took Jimmy
Posted by: Kevin | Mar 6, 2008 5:10:45 PM
I think that Kevin may be on to something. I wonder if there have been any ransom notes?
Posted by: bill912 | Mar 6, 2008 7:33:13 PM
"WE HAVE JIMMY. BRING US 45 BOXES OF CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES IF YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM AGAIN"
Posted by: Kevin | Mar 7, 2008 6:53:02 AM
Maybe he was raptured! ;)
Posted by: Barbara | Mar 7, 2008 9:01:47 AM
I also came across this series through the Scout mnagazine. I was hooked. I found the books and absorbed them. Fantastic stuff. As someone else said, I'm almost afraid to return to it and risk spoiling the wonderful memory.
I was amused at the time that the aliens got us through TV transmissions. One more reason to kill your TV, yes?
But I'm introgued that someone has actually tried bringing it to the screen. I'll have to grab it as soon as it becomes available in my region format.
Posted by: Richard | Mar 7, 2008 3:52:58 PM
You kidnapped Jimmy so you could get 45 boxes of chocolate? Why 45 boxes? Why not 46, or 47?
Posted by: David B. | Mar 8, 2008 12:45:43 PM
