The Illustrated Man

Up until the final paragraphs, there is no optimism to be found. The negroes are anxious to make the white man pay for the oppression they experienced on Earth. On Mars, they have their own homes.... they are the majority rather than the minority. Willie's reaction to the presence of the white man and the possibility of more is smug, his thoughts are focused on pay back. He even goes so far, as to paint a sign for the trolley desginating the rear of the trolley for their use.

In the end, however, it is Hattie who embraces the situation for what it is. She uses bad memories to ask questions, to prove how things have changed, to show Willie that since they've been away, those who oppressed them have died. And then she uses the man's answers to prove that fresh starts are possible.... that the past is gone forever; gone with the deaths of the men who killed his father..... gone with the Earth. In her optimism, she illustrates a world where all people are equal, exisiting on the same level.