'If I Forget Thee, O Earth . . .'

Verisimilitude is the use of details to create a convincingly realistic story. Though “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” is science fiction, Clarke describes life on the moon in a plausible and matter-of-fact way to encourage the reader to accept it as reality.

For instance, Clarke refers to the smell of the agricultural level of the colony (called the “Farmlands”) in contrast to the sterile air of the lower levels. He later refers to the wide “balloon tyres” of the scout car and describes the details of the landscape, such as the “jumbled wasteland of craters, mountain ranges, and ravines” (404). Such sensory details ground the story in a realistic environment—specifically, one that is devoid of almost anything but human technology and rock. This amplifies the grief that Marvin experiences at the story’s climax by contrasting markedly with Earth’s natural beauty.

Point of view is the perspective from which a story unfolds. Clarke uses a third-person limited point of view to tell the story: He refers to Marvin rather than speaking directly as Marvin, but the perspective is limited to what Marvin experiences. This allows Clarke to write with the narrative sophistication of his own adult voice while focusing on the experience of a 10-year-old boy. This is significant, as it positions readers to experience the revelation of Earth’s destruction alongside Marvin and thus supports the theme of Coming of Age as an Individual and a Species; the story nudges readers to grasp their responsibilities to humanity and Earth in much the same way that Marvin himself does.