ALL YOU ZOMBIES :: essays research papers

In the recital, All You Zombies, there are many paradoxes that Heinlein touches upon. One being, the ability to spark off back and forth done time. This jumping from one time to another would allow one to arrive at a time that he or she is already in causation there to be two of the same person at once. In fact, this is the scenario that occurs in the short story. It all starts when the bartender approaches a sad soul view at the bar. He asks the fellow to tell him what is wrong. Though reluctant to, the gentleman does after being persuaded to by a bottle of wine. The deal was that if his story was worsened then the bartenders he could keep the bottle all for himself. This is a paradox because the reader finds out later in the story that both men are one in the same with the held of time travel. The bartender knowing this has nothing to loose because either way he wins the bottle of wine. Time travel, in this story, is symbolized by the ring that the bartender wares. Like the ring, with no end or beginning, time, through time travel has no end or beginning allowing one to travel through out time with no interruptions. The ring was also said to be warn to keep women off. This being that the bartender himself was once a woman(Jane) in the beginning he had an, unwilling operation. This operation was done after Jane had a caesarean and the doctor found out that she had two full sets of organs. When Jane awoke to the bad news she was cover tightly in bandages causing her, know a him, to feel Like a mummy. This mummy like feeling is the symbolism for the rest of his life. Once a she now being restricted into a mans body with his life and his fate sealed with him in the bandages. Another paradox is when he says to the bartender, after being disrupt by him, Whos telling this story? Although the reader, like the story teller, does not know that in fact, he is the bartender. So they are both telling the storybecause they are one in the same. This is made possibl e again by time travel, allowing him to be at two place at onetime. The mystery finally unravels for him and the reader with this comment, Now you know who he is - and after