Space Cadet論 : Heinleinの政治的言説と販売戦略の変化

Robert Heinlein's Space Cadet (1948) is his second juvenile novel and its story is -like that of Starship Troopers (1959)- based on his military life. Although Space Cadet has a similar narrative structure and makes similar political statements to Starship Troopers, many critics have not paid much attention to Space Cadet but have energetically discussed Starship Troopers and regarded it as a militaristic and imperialistic novel.

The first aim of this essay is to point out Heinlein's political statements in Space Cadet. Matt Dodson, the protagonist of this novel, enlists in a military structure, which is called The Interplanetary Patrol. We should notice that he is not a conscript soldier but a volunteer and that he is an ordinary WASP and has no special talents. He goes through rigorous training and finally became an elite soldier who has great authority. By resolving a conflict between the Terrans and Vinusians he became a hero. Heinlein cleverly leads his young readers to long for heroic soldiers and to aspire to becoming such soldiers. Although the Patrol consists of various races and ethnic groups, there is no racial discrimination and there are no ethic or religious disputes. Heinlein describes this police structure as a utopia on which the United States of America should model itself.

The second aim of this essay is to show how Heinlein made the parents of his young readers think that this novel does not contain "dangerous" political statements but is an ordinary joyful juvenile novel. It is clear that Heinlein have to be very careful about the evaluations from the parents because his young readers got money for buying his novels from their parents. Heinlein's strategies in this novel are as follows: he affirms that an ordinary person becomes an American hero by making greater efforts; he claims that the equality of all people and compliance with the rules are the most important values. The readers who long for such heroic soldiers of this novel must become more diligent. As a result the parents of his young readers regarded this novel as a "good" Bildungsroman.

The third aim of this essay is to show the double vision of Heinlein in this novel. By describing an ideal police which acts in an equitable manner towards all races, ethnicities, and cultures he shows American readers a path which they should follow. On the other hand he realizes that no kind of organizations can guarantee complete fairness. He makes a prophecy that people in America cannot escape from a paradoxical situation where they always need enemies who jeopardize political and economic stability in America in order to confirming their identities.