Book Pages
Here, the three of us have written our thoughts and connections on the book.
Haley's Thoughts
Industrialization has been a topic of controversy within environmentalists such as Aldo Leopold who created the idea of the land ethic and the false land ethic where economical gain is immorally desired, and “Terrarium” is nothing short of expressing that. Specifically, the medical advances are a topic of concern in this book. People in our society today would say our current medical advances are beneficial, but who knows where they may lead. Katrina Brown, a writer for BSU, with a double major of English Literature and Sociology, wrote an article on Dystopian and Utopian literature. Dystopias are attention catching with the basis of where society can go wrong, they show what society fears most about itself (Brown). In “Terrarium,” the medical advances such as replacing the anatomical body systems with electronic systems when unnecessary represents the terrifying concept of our society pushing industrialization too far. If this were to happen in real life, our advances would be doing more harm than good. The majority of the population in the book follows these societal threats except for the Jonah Colony who fought to escape. Zuni especially, who joined the colony later, was one to break away from these rules. She even said herself how she refused to give up her real eyes for artificial ones as she lives to see the world naturally (Sanders 25). As Brown portrays in her article, the further society technologically advances, the more we stray from what is important: loving what the world naturally gives us.
Another example of this societal threat in “Terrarium” is the drug abuse. Drugs for just about anything are seen as a necessity in the book, and may be showing relevant in today’s society. Drug abuse has been a problem recently, and “Terrarium” may be showing us what we should be fearing, a life lived off of and controlled by these consciousness altering substances. On page 6, the quote, “an extra dose of narco did no good,” shows just how dependent the inhabitants of the Enclosure are upon these drugs for things such as sleep. There are already people in our society with these problems, one can hope we don’t all end up like this. This may beg the question of whether or not humans are inherently good or evil (Brown). In the book, the majority of the population, especially the people running the Enclosure, may represent the evil side, and Jonah Colony may represent the good side of human nature.
Jonah colony, resenting the concepts of the Enclosure, lived on an island, but they weren’t completely against industrialization. As stated earlier, technological and medical advances have been beneficial, if not pushed too far. They had pods for their crops, sleeping, etc., for when the natural environment is just a bit too brutal for them. They experienced this force right from the beginning when the ocean’s waves were too strong for them. Concepts similar to this may be found in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” where the main character is left vulnerable to the strength and power of our natural world. An experience more powerful than that of the sublime.
Brown , Katrina. “Utopias and Dystopias: The Potential of Human Nature - Digital Literature Review: Ball State English.” Digital Literature Review | Ball State English, 4 Apr. 2019, bsuenglish.com/dlr/2019/04/04/utopias-and-dystopias-the- potential-of-human-nature/.
London, Jack. “To Build a Fire .” pp. 64–79.
Sanders, Scott Russell. Terrarium. Indiana University Press, 1995.
“The Land Ethic.” A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Carl. Leopold, O.U.P., 1966, pp. 382–397.
Maggie's Thoughts
“Terrarium” shares distinct similarities in apparent components such as the characters, settings, and plot of “Genesis.” Through these components, one can draw connections between the authors’ deeper meanings of humans’ relationship with the environment.
In terms of characters, Phoenix and Teeg in “Terrarium” are analogous with Adam and Eve in “Genesis.” In terms of setting, the Enclosure and the wilderness in “Terrarium” are analogous with Eden and the rest of the world in “Genesis.” All four characters are forced to live inside a place that protects them and the rest of humanity from anything that has the possibility of harming them such as sickness, pain, death, individuality, a unique identity, and a conscience. Also within this place, humanity must abide by standards, rules, and restrictions enforced by those more powerful than them. Examples of this are zero contact to anything outside the Enclosure and Eden and concealment of anything that makes them unique such as emotion and identity. Teeg and Eve are inspired by others to take action that will result in them leaving the place that shields them from harm. Phoenix and Adam are convinced by the girls to join them in doing so. All four characters, now outside of the places that protect them from harm, can now experience sickness, pain, death, individuality, and a unique identity. Additionally, they are no longer forced to comply with standards, rules, and restrictions. Essentially, they trade protection for emotion, identity, and a conscious.
All of these components point to similar deep meanings of humans’ relationship with the environment. Historically (like in “Genesis”) and contemporarily (“Terrarium”) humanity is seen as being separate and superior to the natural world. The belief that nature was created for humanity’s benefit is something that continues to be passed on. This is evident because “Genesis” is an extremely old story and yet still influences major works today. All characters are portrayed to be responsible for overseeing, managing, taming, utilizing, and taking care of the natural world. Additionally, all characters are tempted to experience a fall. For Teeg and Phoenix they fall from the Enclosure and for Adam and Eve they fall from Eden. The idea that they experience the loss of power over nature that they were imbued with in addition to sickness, pain, and even death is suggestive that the natural world is harmful and therefore requires that we are accepting of uniformity. However, when they are willing to make a trade off between protection and uniqueness, they gain emotion, identity, a conscious, knowledge, and awareness of themselves and their surroundings. This plot alludes that humans must be willing to experience a “fall” so that they can be enlightened and gain an appreciation for the natural world and their relationship with it. When aligned with the natural world, humanity is allowed to embrace the aspects that allow them to be unique from one another. It suggests that as a part of nature, rather than separate from it, humans are better off.
Genesis 1. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved March 24, 2020 from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=NIV
Damian's Thoughts
Terrarium by Scott Russell Sanders is a modern look at the dichotomy between humanity and nature in a world far removed yet all too familiar to our own. The book is perhaps the first work of literature to build the motif of the Domed city separate from the outside world, and its critiques on modern life are both biting and accurate.
I would say that my chief comment about the book is that I feel that the world building was an interesting departure from typical works.. Throughout the story the reader is unable to ascertain what level of technology the Enclosure society is actually capable of, which leads to the mystique of the Enclosure and serves to distance itself in juxtaposition to nature. Gregory, an administrator in the Enclosure, admits that the Enclosure is capable of essentially alchemy by being able to turn the most basic elements like space dust and rocks into complex products. For example, it is revealed that people's body parts can easily be replaced with mechanical versions, and there are advanced robots with AI, and comfortable solar colonies; meaning that human society no longer had any need to care or know about nature rather than for what chemicals and elements it can provide them. Similar to the ideas expressed by McKibben in End of Nature where he notions the idea that some day “Why would we (humanity) have any more reverence for such a rabbit than we would for a Coke bottle?”. From this quote and through the book itself the idea that human society will progress to such a stage of mindless pragmatism that we will lose our souls in materialism.
Alongside this, there is a recurring theme of identity in the book explored through the lens of the protagonist Phoenix. Phoenix begins the story completely unfit, barely able to walk for more than afew hundred feet before getting winded. He throughout the story in his time in the wilderness has to overcome his flabby exterior to reveal his true form. This harkons to a quote from Thoreau where he says how “ It reminded me of the creations of the old epic and dramatic poets, of Atlas, Vulcan, the Cyclops, and Prometheus.” Through this quote Thoreau while climbing Mount Ktaadn saw himself as a classical hero, the man to slay the monster climbing the foreboding mountain. So too does Phoenix undergo a transformation, from a sniveling office worker who couldn’t go an hour without a narcotic pick-me-up to a classic protagonist who is capable of anything the world throws at him.
Terrarium is not just a story of the grand ideas of humanity and its relation to nature, but also a commentary on the nature of what it is to become actualized. In the same way the mysteries of the Enclosure are gradually unraveled so too is the husk of Phoenix rising from the ashes to become a new man. Phoenix breaks the socially imposed shackles on his being and makes in the image of Atlas and the Olympians of old the ideal form of the torchbearer of humanity. Livni writes how "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” according to Campbell’s definition. Anyone can become a hero—on purpose or even accidentally. But it involves a painful evolution that is a prerequisite to greatness." Phoenix had undergone the classic first steps of heroism such as a call to adventure, and his later rebirth.
Through hard work and constant self reflection Phoenix had overcome the life of luxury and comfort to do what is right. For all intents and purposes, his story has only just begun.
Livni, Ephrat. “This Classic Formula Can Show You How to Live More Heroically.” Quartz, 26 Oct. 2018,
qz.com/1436608/this-classic-formula-can-show-you-how-to-live-more-heroically/.
McKibben, Bill. “The End of Nature.” The Norton Book of Nature Writing, pp. 1120–1130.
Thoreau, Henry David. “Ktaadn.” The Norton Book of Nature Writing, pp. 206–211.