An advanced world
According to Menni, his society was “far ahead of the academic world in many important scientific questions.” They knew about “radioactive elements and their decay long before Curie and Ramsey,” thus their analysis of “the structure of matter” had come “much further than” Curie’s or Ramsey’s. The Martians foresaw “the possible existence of elements” that were “repelled by the planetary bodies” and “subsequently succeeded in synthesizing this minus-mater.” This imagery is all about the popular fantasy about other civilizations – more advanced than ours – that exist in the galaxy. The only one reason why we haven’t discovered them yet is that we are not ready for it. Mankind has to undergo a great transformation to be able to do that.
Carefulness
The Martians didn’t hurry up to share their knowledge with the rest. They considered “secrecy to be of the utmost importance,” for it would be “very dangerous to publish” their findings “so long as most countries” were ruled by “reactionary governments.” Menni knew that Leonid, “as a Russian revolutionary”, would be “the first to agree.” The Martians saw how the Asiatic government used “European means of communication and destruction to oppress and eradicate all the most vigorous and progressive elements in the country.” It was clear that if the Martians’ “flying machines” were “to become known,” the governments would “first of all try to get a monopoly on them” and “use them to enhance the power and might of the upper class.” This imagery is supposed to evoke a feeling of worry.
The real face
Menni unbuttoned “his collar and removed his glasses and an incredibly realistic mask,” which, until that moment, Leonid and everyone else “had taken to be his face.” Leonid was “astonished by the sight that greeted” him. Menni’s eyes were “monstrously huge, much larger than any human eyes.” The pupils were “disproportionally large, which made his gaze almost frightening.” “Due to the unnatural size of the eyes,” the upper part of his face and head was “unusually board.” “The lower part” of his face, “on the other hand,” was “relatively narrow,” and he lacked “any sign of a beard or mustache.” This imagery evokes a feeling of curiosity and maybe even slight fear.
