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Childhood’s End. Ch. 7-11. New Characters. George Greggson: Television production designer; married to Jean Morrel, with two children Jeffrey and Jennifer; only real protagonist in the novel; passive observer: he witnesses the plans of the Overlords as would any “ordinary Joe”
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Childhood’s End • Ch. 7-11
New Characters • George Greggson: Television production designer; married to Jean Morrel, with two children Jeffrey and Jennifer; only real protagonist in the novel; passive observer: he witnesses the plans of the Overlords as would any “ordinary Joe” • Jean: “Primary Contact” - could be channel that Overlords are interested in • Rupert Boyce: “supervet” who throws party at which guests play Ouija board and Jean makes contact; interested in paranormal psychology • Rashaverak: Overlord at Rupert’s party who witnesses Jean’s contact; keeps an eye on Jan Rodricks
Jan Rodricks • Young man interested in space exploration and astronomy • Suspicious of Overlords’ plans - dissatisfied with the utopia created on earth • Represents mankind’s inability to be satisfied or content • Jan believes the Overlords are abusing their technology to keep man from entering space
Technology = Power • Overlords can do anything: spy everywhere on earth, project illusions of their ships and make them sound real, create sensation of pain without causing a wound, block out the sun, travel through space • Even though they create a utopia on earth, the Overlords are still the ones determining what is “right”
The Purpose of Life • Jan wants to know the purpose of humanity, if in fact the “stars are not for man” • Without religion or drama (suffering), life loses its meaning for many • Education and sports become ways in which humans deal with boredom