Bron’s visit to Earth was a very stark juxtaposition to his life on Triton. On Triton, we have gotten used to the fluidity of sex and gender as well as the freedom people possess. On many occasions, we have read about people walking around naked or barely dressed in professional settings, as well as other weird facts that seem out of place – for example, the two twelve year olds who acted as managers for a corporation. Everything we got used to on Triton is completely reversed on Earth. Bron instantly notices that there are only three distinct clothing styles – all of which are dull and conservative – and then further realizes the clothes are separated mainly by gender (with the third option designated for children). Clearly the equality of gender that is usually experienced on Triton (or at least supposed equality – there is a lot we don’t know about Triton and its politics) is not the same on Earth and there is a stark separation between genders. This separation is highlighted by small details; for example, when Bron is held captive, the first two guards to visit him are both women whereas the second two are both men. However, even though they are separated, the guards largely act in the same way (i.e punching Bron in the side before they leave).
Another detail that stuck out to me was the constant use of nicknames by the Earthmen. I don’t know the severity of these nicknames (as in I don’t know if I can say “moonie” is a slur) but they appear to be condescending at best. The guards refer to Bron as a “moonie” and people from Mars as “marsies.” The terms don’t necessarily seem like they are offending anyone, but, regardless, show the superiority ingrained into residents of Earth. Joined with these terms is also a common use of the n-word, something we saw even on Triton. Interestingly enough, the n-word seems very normalized and we don’t see anyone, including Sam, even bat an eye when they hear someone say it. I find this fact to be pretty realistic as certain issues die out the language surrounding it will change meaning. Although we don’t know for certain since there’s so much we don’t know about the state of the world, there are no instances of racism the way we know it today. Although we have not really seen any examples of racism directed at black people, it is very clear that prejudice itself still exists, even if it has evolved to be directed at different groups.
Another conversation in the novel I found to be very interesting was the conversation at the archaeological site about welfare and taxes. In general, I feel like the reader has not had an immense experience with the politics or the government of Triton. The government feels like it’s very background to their lives and no one on the streets even pays attention to the constant flyers that pop up in the novel. On Earth, however, the government is a very tangible force considering Bron is instantly taken into custody, interrogated, and abused. In a similar fashion, Sam’s conversation with some of the Earthmen about taxes and welfare show the difference between their two cultures. On Earth, welfare STILL has a clearly negative stigma around it, but the sentiment on Triton is very different. Like Sam says, “practically everyone spends some time on it” and that there are no “economic ghettos” to divide people (152). In a way, it seems like a lot of things on Earth have not changed (and whatever did seems even worse than what we have now) and I found that pretty frightening to read about. I’d honestly love to live on Triton.