Space Over Time

"In any case I believe that the anxiety of our era has to do fundamentally with space, no doubt a great deal more than with time. Time probably appears to us only as one of the various distributive operations that are possible for the elements that are spread out in space"(Foucault 23).

From the beginning of the colonization of Mars to the revolution, the prevalent, recurring battle between the characters is the fight over methods of space optimization. The idea of time limitation does not ever seem to be a threat to this Martial society. Not only does is this concept not often considered towards the beginning of the novel, but eventually this limitation is completely eliminated when the inhabitants of Mars are able to produce and be given longevity treatments in order to extend the length of their lives. By introducing these treatments, the plot further abandons time as a constraint on the work and progress of Mars. What main constraint the people are left with is space. Of course, this developmental constraint has been apparent since the idea development and progress began. As mentioned by Hardt, "From the beginning, American space was not only an extensive, unbounded space but also an intensive space: a space of crossings, a ‘‘melting pot’’ of continuous hybridization. The first real crisis of American liberty was determined on this internal, intensive space" (170). Whether physically, racially, or emotionally, space seems to continually overrule time in relevancy to developmental progress. Because the people of Mars are apparently left with only one dominant constraint, they then seem to focus all their opinions and arguments toward their individual viewpoints on the matter. Each member of the society realizes quickly that safe space on the planet is limited and groups begin segregate according to the opinions of the individuals for the best solution to the space limitation. One of the arguments is towards the idea of terraforming the planet and the other is for preserving the planet in its original state and learning to expand their materials to simply live on the surface. This conflict has become so pronounced because of the harsh radiation and health hazards outdoors. Only so much time per individual can be healthily spent outside, therefore frustrating many of the inhabitants. The situation is described: "There was a lot of work to be done under the hill, getting the last row of chambers finished; and it was possible to dig some cellars below the vaults, giving them some more space protected from radiation. And many of the tractors were equipped to be teleoperated from indoor stations, their decision algorithms handling the details while the human operators watched screens below. So it could be done; but no one liked the life that resulted. Even Sax Russell, who was content to work indoors most of the time, looked perplexed. In the evenings a number of people began to argue for immediate terraforming efforts, and they made the case with renewed intensity" (Robinson 127). The point is made that although it is possible for the people to simply live and complete their work safely inside, everyone knows how uncomfortable and unfavorable this option is. The community yearns for expansion, whether expanding the safe interior, or terraforming the planet; everyone knows that the current martial living and working conditions are not enough. This theme of space optimization dominating time optimization is very prevalent throughout the course of the novel and it brings up the point of what would happen had there been more of a time constraint to threaten the people. What would be different.