"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" I think, therefore I AM
In doing something a little different this week, I have decided to review a different genre of literature that everyone is familiar with: the short story.
For those who are fans of horror or science fiction, you have probably heard of Harlan Ellison’s revolutionary “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.” In terms of popularity and influence on the genre of science fiction, I would say it is on the same level as Frank Herbert’s “Dune” series,converted into a short story that is far more poignant, thematic and relevant even to this day.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” follows five individuals – Ellen, Gorrister, Benny, Nimdok and Ted, the narrator – as they navigate the world after an apocalypse created by AM, a supercomputer that has killed everyone else and keeps them alive for its own torturous amusement. They are turned immortal and are unable to escape from the cavern of AM, as his hardware covers the entirety of the Earth.
I’ll try not to spoil it, considering the audiobook is free on YouTube and only forty minutes long, but the ending Ellison crafted is quite poignant. Though it can feel a little dated in its references to the Cold War and the fear of technology, its content remains more relevant than ever.
Science fiction, as a genre, is not often taken seriously. Culturally, it is seen as an order on a higher level than fantasy, but still beneath other realms of fiction that are less “outlandish.” As outlandish as Ellison’s concept of a tyrannical supercomputer may be, it still captures the imagination because of how real the possibility feels.
There is a common conception that writers of science fiction are not very good at writing, at least on a level of prose; they focus too much on overcomplicated detail instead of exerting effort on a more rounded story that finds a good balance between interesting and esoteric. Ellison subverts this expectation, and I am not sure if it is because of the length, but I would say that his writing style is perfect for the world he was aiming to portray.
There is a very real sense of hopelessness that is conveyed in every carefully chosen word and the mania of Ted’s thoughts.
Ted was perhaps the most interesting part of this story, despite the fact that there is a sentient supercomputer that has taken over the world. He is an unreliable narrator whose mind has become so tormented by AM’s torture, but he is entirely unaware of just how paranoid and unrealistic his thoughts are.
I wouldn’t say “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” is must-read. Though it is well-written and poses many good questions concerning the future of humanity, it still inhabits a pretty niche part of literature and science fiction, as a whole.
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