The Man Who Saved the Earth story
A man by the name of Charley Huyck sacrifices himself in a last ditched effort to prevent the theft of Earth's ocean waters.
11 total · 6 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| atmospheric dissipation | major | Professor Williams explained to Charley about how the Earth's "water gas will gradually lose out into sidereal space" rendering the Earth into an uninhabitable desert. The Martians tried to steal Earth's water to replenish their evaporated oceans. |
| attack from outer space by a genocidal enemy | major | It seemed that the Martians were intent on wiping out humanity in the process of stealing Earth's ocean waters. |
| Martian extraterrestrial | major | Martians tried to steal Earth's water to replenish their evaporated oceans. |
| the dangers of unfettered scientific advancement | major | Scientist Charley Huyck discovered a form of energy so dangerous that it could be used to destroy the Earth, but in the end he found himself in a situation where he needed to use that power to save humanity from an extraterrestrial threat. |
| weapons of mass destruction | major | Martians used a mysterious death ray like beam, which emanated from a mountaintop apparatus, to devastate the Earth. They made a mountain vanish in the wink of an eye and cut a channel clear through North America. |
| what if the fate of the world was in my hands | major | Scientist Charley Huyck discovered a form of energy so dangerous that it could be used to destroy the Earth, but in the end he found himself in a situation where he needed to use that power to save humanity from an extraterrestrial threat. |
| mass hysteria | minor | People fought in the streets and died in madness. |
| mentor and protégé | minor | Dr. Robold took on Charley Huyck as his protégé early on in the story, but nothing too much was made of it. |
| post-scarcity economy utopia | minor | The story takes place during "a period of Utopian quietness" with "no villain around the corner", "no man to covet the ox of his neighbor", and well-fed and content population. Presumably this state of affairs was made possible through scientific advancement. |
| space colonization | minor | Charley wrote in a letter about how Jupiter, owing to its gradually dissipating atmosphere, would be ready for colonization before such time as the Earth became uninhabitable. |