“They would probably never even know that the human race existed. Such monumental indifference was worse than any deliberate insult.”
The supposed asteroid that turns out to be an alien starship opens the possibility of first contact. However, the starship nicknamed Rama seems to be unmindful of the humans exploring and studying its mechanisms. The common assumption is that aliens will be concerned with contacting or destroying humanity upon discovery. In this case, humans are served with a response that is rather indifferent which challenges the conception of humanity as the center of the universe. The encounter awakens the astronomers by showing the grandiose enormity of something alien that makes our world feel insignificant. The more they learn about the interstellar object with its sheer size and complexity the more it becomes about it than Earth. Moreover, novel is plot-driven rather than character-driven which highlights the motif of it is about the vessel and not humanity.
“But at least we have answered one ancient question. We are not alone. The stars will never again be the same to us.”
Every action by the vessel and its contents is veiled in mystery since the astronomers cannot figure out its inner workings. Generally, since the arrival of Rama humans are bombarded with existential questions about the universe. As the astronomers learn about its purpose or mission more mysteries arise from the discoveries they make. They understand that Ramans created an artificial system using their advanced technology for survival through regenerative cycles. However, this barely scratches the surface since the intentions of the alien race—if any—still remain a mystery. The quote demonstrates the essence of the story and that is creating more mysteries than answers to prompt new questions. They have answered the most asked question from the beginning but this opens the universe to other ambiguities.
“Training was one thing, reality another, and no one could be sure that the ancient human instincts of self-preservation would not take over in an emergency.”
The survival instinct of humans is to confront or wage war against an apparent threat or its enemies. This applies to the long-held hypothesis that any alien contact is synonymous with preparing or going to interplanetary warfare. The astronomers are skeptical of the passivity of the crab-like creatures working within the alien starship. The ambiguity of their mission and failure to comprehend the Ramans’ thought process spurs a clash with the human condition. As far as they know is that Rama is in our solar system for exploration purposes but this could change at any moment. According to our defense mechanism, any foreign or alien life is antagonized because they pose a potential threat. This raises the question of whether humanity is prepared to engage diplomatically with alien life or resort to a confrontation.
