Short Fiction · Chapter
IV: The Last Man explained
Frederick West, alone in a house on Pluto, discovers a bottle containing the 'hormones' that enhance mental abilities.
What happens
Frederick West, alone in a house on Pluto, discovers a bottle containing the 'hormones' that enhance mental abilities. He realizes the bottle was the object of a long search by Belden and Darling, and that it was hidden by Langdon. With his newfound mental clarity, West identifies the flaw in the space drive of the Alpha Centauri, offering a chance to reach the stars. He also reflects on the alien threat from 'otherwhere' that Nevin and Cartwright unleashed, and decides to stay on Pluto as a fugitive from humanity.
Themes in this chapter
Loneliness and Isolation
West is the last man on Pluto, embracing solitude as a fugitive from humanity.
Technology and Morality
The hormones and the space drive represent technology that can be used for good or ill, and the alien invasion via telepathy raises moral questions.
Survival and Resilience
West plans to survive alone on Pluto, dealing with bodies and alien creatures, while also finding a way to fix the space drive.
Characters to notice
- Frederick West
The last man on Pluto, discovers the hormones and the solution to the space drive.
- Cartwright
Dead body lies in the room; one of the Pluto gang who opened the door to otherwhere.
- Louis Nevin
Mentioned as part of the Pluto gang who planned to remake the world.
- Walter J. Darling
Hunted for the hormones and drank himself to death trying to find them.
- James Belden
Hunted for the hormones and tore the place apart.
- Langdon
Implied to have hidden the hormones in the bottle on the mantel.
Key passages
“Mud in your eye, he said and it wasn't any good, but it would have to do.”
West gives a clumsy toast to the dead and the alien creature.
Shows West's awkwardness and the melodrama of the moment.
“To the stars, he said. And he drank without gagging.”
West toasts to the stars after realizing he can fix the space drive.
Highlights his renewed hope and determination.