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

One of the most prominent themes in the story concerns coming of age. Marvin is 10 years old and therefore just on the cusp of adolescence. More importantly, his narrative arc involves his initiation into a more mature worldview—a “worldview” rendered quite literal through the symbolism of Earthrise. In this, Marvin’s story parallels that of humanity itself, which has also undergone a loss of innocence.

Coming-of-age stories typically involve a departure from the child’s normal state of life. At the beginning of the story, Marvin can already sense that something important is happening. He has never been to the upper levels of the lunar colony before, much less outside of it, and this creates in him a sense that something is about to change in his life: He feels “rising excitement” and “expectancy.” His observation of his father’s emotional tension also tells him that this is not just a pleasure trip. However, he struggles to grasp the meaning of his father’s behavior, viewing his own impression that they are running from something as “strange.” Similarly, Marvin considers passing through the Farmlands “fun.” Taken together, the two episodes highlight Marvin’s naivety: He approaches the excursion as a kind of adventure and has difficulty conceiving that anything could be seriously amiss.  

Marvin’s break with the innocence of childhood happens when he witnesses his first Earthrise. He sees not only the stunning beauty of the planet but also the residual radioactive effects of the nuclear war. This powerful experience of beauty combined with an equally powerful experience of loss leads Marvin to a sober recognition of what has happened to Earth. The father’s story of what happened and his explanation of the duty Marvin must one day assume punctuate this new understanding. Both the witnessing of Earthrise and the father’s message serve as a rite of passage; it is implicit that every child living in the lunar colony must reckon with the same knowledge of humanity’s history and what it means for their own future responsibilities. Marvin’s response is appropriately serious and shows that Marvin is no longer the innocent boy that he was at the story’s start.

Clarke seems to imply that humanity itself—or what remains of it—has similarly reached a new stage of mature recognition after the destructive folly of its youth. The story closes with Marvin returning to “his people in their long exile” (406). The word choice is significant, as “exile” is typically imposed in punishment for a crime. In conjunction with the story’s title, it also recalls both the exile of the Israelites following the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of humanity from the Garden of Eden—both, in Judeo-Christian tradition, divine responses to transgression. That the colonists experience the destruction of Earth as a self-imposed exile implies that humanity now understands its errors, creating hope that such self-destructive behavior will not recur.