# It Takes a Thief explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Walter M. Miller Jr..

## What happens

Asir, a young thief on Mars, is hung by his wrists as punishment for stealing ritual phrases. He endures pain and waits for the executioner Slubil to administer the bleeding-blade, the nature of which is unknown to him. Mara, the daughter of a Senior Kinsman, taunts him but also winks ambiguously. Asir eventually calls for the knife, but Slubil reveals his sentence has been changed to death by axe. Mara intervenes, leading them into ancient vaults where a robot named Big Joe kills Slubil. Asir learns the vaults contain knowledge and control equipment for renewing Mars' atmosphere, but he must master the ancients' knowledge to proceed further.

## Themes in this chapter

### Knowledge and Ignorance

Asir's theft of ritual phrases gives him fragmented knowledge of Mars' dying condition and the ancients' technology, contrasting with the ignorance of the tribal council.

### Technology and Regression

The Martian society has regressed to a primitive state, with ancient machines like Big Joe guarding knowledge needed to restore the atmosphere, highlighting the loss of technological capability.

### Morality and Ethics

The punishment system for theft is brutal and secretive, raising questions about justice and the ethics of the society's laws.

## Character check-ins

### Asir

The young thief hung by his wrists for stealing ritual phrases; endures pain and eventually calls for punishment, leading to a confrontation in the ancient vaults.

### Mara

Daughter of a Senior Kinsman; taunts Asir but also winks at him, later helps him escape and leads him to the ancient vaults.

### Slubil

The executioner assigned to punish Asir; killed by the robot Big Joe when he attempts to carry out the death sentence.

### Welkir

Mara's father; appears in the vaults, distraught, and is told by Mara to go back.

### Big Joe

A robot guardian of the ancient vaults; kills Slubil and announces its functions to protect the control equipment for atmospheric renewal.

## Key lines

> A thief, he was about to die like a thief. He hung from the post by his wrists.

Asir, a thief, is suspended by his wrists from a post, awaiting his punishment.

_Opening scene establishing Asir's predicament._

> The Council of Senior Kinsmen judged him in secret, and passed sentence as to what the executioner would do with the knife.

The council secretly decided Asir's fate, which the executioner would carry out with a knife.

_Describes the secret judgment system._

> He knew now that Mars, once dead, was dying again, its air leaking away once more into space. And Man would die with it, unless something were done, and done quickly.

Asir understands that Mars is losing its atmosphere again, threatening human survival unless action is taken.

_Asir's insight into the planetary crisis._

> Big Joe is charged with announcing his function for the intelligence of the technologists. His primary function is to prevent the entrance of possibly destructive organisms into the vaults containing the control equipment for the fusion reaction which must periodically renew atmospheric oxygen.

Big Joe's role is to guard the vaults that house the fusion reaction equipment needed to replenish Mars' oxygen.

_Big Joe explains its purpose to Asir and Mara._

## Links

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