Alfonso Cuarón’s acclaimed sci-fi thriller Gravity is a gripping movie about an astronaut (Sandra Bullock) stranded in the darkness of space, after her space station was destroyed by the accelerated debris from an exploded satellite. While watching this movie, all I could think of was Ray Bradbury’s science fiction short story Kaleidoscope in his 1951 collection, titled The Illustrated Man. Due to the various differences between the two stories, it is clear that Gravity was not based on Bradbury’s story. Kaleidoscope is a haunting story, detailing the final hours of a group of people who are forced to come to terms with their inevitable deaths in the cold embrace of deep space. A great representation of mankind’s struggle in the search for the meaning of such an unpredictable and insignificant life, Bradbury writes with the elegance of a poet.
I will proceed to summarize Kaleidoscope, which will naturally involve many spoilers (i.e. the entire plot). I will proceed to give a fairly detailed synopsis, so bear with me. If you are interested in reading it, stop here. If you’re not interested in reading it, read it. It’s good.
Kaleidoscope opens with the disintegration of the ‘rocket,’ and the consequent dispersal of the crew: Hollis, the captain, Stone, Applegate, Stimson, and Lespere, amongst others were flung into space in different directions, with only an hour of communication left before the range becomes too great for the intercom to work. Panicked voices permeate the channel, with an unnamed rocketeer shouting “Which way is up? I’m falling. Good God, I’m falling.” After ten minutes, the terror dissipated, and a calm began to take over. From here, the story follows Captain Hollis. He asks Stone over the intercom, “What happened?” Stone replied with a stoic “The rocket blew up, that’s all. Rockets do blow up.” Stone then states, in the same sober tone, that it looks like he will hit the moon. Hollis says that it will be Earth for him. The unusual composure of the two men as they discussed their final destination is haunting, as the others fell silent, contemplating their destiny and the events that placed them in their current situation.
Stimson breaks the silence when he begins to panic, saying, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, it’s a long way down.” Hollis attempts to calm Stimson down, only to be interrupted by Applegate, who irritates Hollis with a glib “It’s a bad dream,” and goading him. At this moment, Hollis finally feels the impossibility of his position, due to his anger and inability to do something to Applegate.
Suddenly, an unnamed crew member starts screaming, and floats by Hollis. He immediately grabs him and smashes the glass helmet, silencing him. Hollis justifies his action by stating the inevitability of their death. Applegate’s disembodied voice contacts Hollis again. This time, he expresses his strong dislike towards Hollis, and to his leadership. After establishing the ‘mutiny of one,’ Applegate proceeds to reveal that he was behind the blackballing of Hollis with the Rocket Company half a decade ago. Before Hollis has a chance to respond, a small meteor severs his left hand. He swiftly seals the leak and stops the bleeding via a tourniquet.
When Applegate repeats his story about his betrayal of Hollis and asks if he is angry, Hollis explains that it just wasn’t important, and he wasn’t angry. Faced with the end of his life, he contemplates the meaninglessness of his life.
“When life is over it is like a flicker of bright film, an instant on the screen, all of its prejudices and passions condensed and illumined for an instant on space, and before you could cry out, ‘There was a happy day, there a bad one, there an evil face, there a good one, the film burned to a cinder, the screen went dark.”
One of the men, Lespere, continues to talk about his impressive exploits in his lifetime: the wife on Mars, the wife on Venus, the wife on Jupiter, his wealth. Hollis reminisces about how he envied Lespere’s joyful life, but in their current situation, their shared helplessness makes them equals. However, Lespere’s constant talking made Hollis uncharacteristically mean, claiming that it was all over, and it’s just as if nothing ever happened, and that Lespere’s life was no better than Hollis’. Lespere is indignant, saying that he has his thoughts and memories. Hollis silently agrees, accepting the difference between his dreams, and Lespere’s memories; i.e. the difference of accomplishments. Nevertheless, Hollis asserts the equality of himself and Lespere at the threshold of death.
“They came to death by separate paths and, in all likelihood, if there were kinds of death, their kinds would be as different as night and day. The quality of death, like that of life, must be of an infinite variety.“
Another meteor takes off Hollis’ right foot. He tightens the valve, retaining his blood and air. Hollis laughs at the humorous way space executes its victims; cutting away, “piece by piece, like a black and invisible butcher.”
Applegate reestablishes contact with Hollis. This time, he reveals that his supposed betrayal of Hollis was a lie, and the reason behind it was to simply be mean. He apologizes, realizing the stupidity of fighting at this terminus. Stone’s discarnate voice also reaches out to Hollis. Stone reveals that he has entered the Myrmidone cluster, a group of small meteors past Mars. Stone describes the colorful metals and minerals making up the cluster as a beautiful, big kaleidoscope. “‘I’m going with them,’ said Stone. ‘They’re taking me off with them. I’ll be damned.’ He laughed.” Stone and Hollis share their farewells, and communication fades to silence. Hollis contemplates his upcoming death in the deafening silence. “Their voices had died like echoes of the words of God spoken and vibrating in the starred deep.”
He ponders his usefulness. He hopes that his incineration in the atmosphere would scatter his ashes over the land, doing some good for the benefit of others. He wonders if, when he burns like a meteor entering Earth’s protective atmosphere, anyone will see him.
On the surface, a small boy wishes upon a falling star.
“‘Make a wish,’ said his mother. ‘Make a wish.'”
“We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.” — Ray Bradbury
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