Author: William Tenn
Date of First Publication: January 1956
Place of First Publication: Fantastic Universe
Type: Short Story
Characters: No Character
Themes: SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; ANDROID; BYRONIC HERO; POSTHUMAN
Critical Summary: William Tenn’s story focuses primarily upon a lunch that secretary Wednesday Gresham and her boss, Fabian Balik, have together. As they begin to talk, Fabian inquires about her past, and finds out that Wednesday is an orphan, and her primary caretaker was a Dr. Morris Lorington. She sees him whenever she needs medical attention. Fabian points out that Wednesday has requested a month of unpaid vacation time in October, and that she has done this before. The fact that it is unpaid does not mean much to Mr. Balik. He is more concerned about the potential disorder it may cause within the company, and implies Wednesday could get laid off for repeated requests. Wednesday then reveals that her request is due to the fact that all of her teeth fall out during that time of the year. She also tells Fabian about hairs that grow upon her fingernails and on the underside of her tongue. Wednesday begins to cry and tells Fabian that she was not born, but that Dr. Lorington believes she was made, poorly. Fabian is fascinated with this and pursues a romance with Wednesday, who is delighted. Dr. Lorington warns Fabian, telling him that he does not like him, that Wednesday is a trophy for him, and that she should never have children. Fabian ignores this and has a child with Wednesday. When he arrives at the hospital, Wednesday is curled in a fetal position, and his child has the exact voice and intelligence of Wednesday.
Fabian is a man who manipulates Wednesday and uses his charm and position to insert himself into a relationship with her, an opportunity that she seizes upon because she is lonely and physically different than all other humans. The possession of Wednesday feeds Fabian’s ego. Wednesday, on the other hand, is a sweet woman who has had the misfortune of being created differently than other humans, which makes her at least in theory, a monster. The Victor and Creature dynamic is of course, very similar. Victor is an educated and brilliant man, but he seems to lack the sympathetic qualities the Creature has, because he is absorbed by his own ego. The creation of life is in part a pursuit to prove his professors wrong. Both stories also touch on themes of the body, and how it can relate to identity, self perception, and reproduction. The Creature is composed of dead body parts from humans, all of which make him monstrous in appearance, and support the idea that he is fundamentally different than the people around him, though he acts and thinks just like a person. And though the Creature feels the need for female companionship, Victor fears what the consequences of Creature offspring will be. Wednesday has also been “made,” presumably from other organic material, and this creates a self identity that revolves around the notion that she is fundamentally different at a biological level, even monstrous. This makes her fearful of bringing children into the world. The reproductive fears in both stories are reinforced by the doctors, and introduce the theme of science creating perceived as monstrous itself.
Administrative Notes: Nathan San Filippo, a CSUF; Amanda Howard, CSUF (editing)