Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
Knivesout no more
Starship Troopers is often called a controversial novel. Originally written as a juvenile novel, it was deemed too violent for youngsters and released as a general reading book instead.
The story itself, such as it is, follows the passage of one Juan Rico from a raw recruit, who has signed up more out of boredom and a need for peer approval than anything else, to a proud, competent member of the Mobile Infantry in humanity's ongoing cosmic war against vicious, insectile enemies.
The battle scenes are gritty, utterly compelling and it's a shame that there aren't more of them. However, Heinlein's sole intention with this book was not to create a guts-and-glory sf war tale - this book is very transparently a vehicle for political exposition that may or may not reflect Heinlein's views at the time accurately.
(The book was written in 1959 by the way, and Heinlein's memories of his military service during WW2 clearly contributed to a lot of the vivid atmosphere and the ideals herein.)
One of the first points that Heinlein makes is a stern argument in favour of flogging as well as capital punishment in the context of military discipline. He also goes on to idealise a gruelling training, depicted in loving detail, and its end result in an ideal military man, disciplined and deadly.
However, Heinlein does not just want to turn out efficient killing machines. Rico's rise through the ranks promps him to sign up for Officer Training school. Here, we get a second dose of exposition. The political system in Heinlein's future earth is militarist meritocracy - only those who have succesfuly served a military term earn citizenship and the franchise. The system works, Heinlein says, not only because it ensures that only those who proven their commitment to defending the state can vote or run for office, but also because by its very nature it ensures that the very people who are most likely to launch a revolution instead have their energies diverted into military action.
These seem rather weak arguments - what would happen to the whole system if and when galactic peace is achieved? Also, Heinlein had clearly not heard of the concept of civil disobedience as an alternate means to political upheaval. Like any meritocracy, Heinlein's is ultimately flawed because there can be no one universal standard to deem a person to be a fit citizen.
So I don't really agree with all the arguments in this book. But I would not agree with those who call it a fascist work either - fascists emphasise the state over the individual, and even here, it is clear that Heinlein values the individual a great deal indeed, even if that individual has to be a military person to warrant approval.
I didn't really agree with much of what he had to say here, but oddly, I didn't find any of the exposition superfluous - except the three or four pages dedicated to explaining the workings of a combat suit. Perhaps that was just because it is a concept that has since been used much later SF.
To refer back to the topic title, I'd say this book is both SF and tract - because of the subject matter and the expository passages, it does serve the purpose of building a certain case for the military way of life as the finest expression of human values. On the other hand, if science fiction is supposed to be a literature of ideas, then this book surely qualifies, as a well-crafted vehicle for Heinlein's political ideas at the time.
The story itself, such as it is, follows the passage of one Juan Rico from a raw recruit, who has signed up more out of boredom and a need for peer approval than anything else, to a proud, competent member of the Mobile Infantry in humanity's ongoing cosmic war against vicious, insectile enemies.
The battle scenes are gritty, utterly compelling and it's a shame that there aren't more of them. However, Heinlein's sole intention with this book was not to create a guts-and-glory sf war tale - this book is very transparently a vehicle for political exposition that may or may not reflect Heinlein's views at the time accurately.
(The book was written in 1959 by the way, and Heinlein's memories of his military service during WW2 clearly contributed to a lot of the vivid atmosphere and the ideals herein.)
One of the first points that Heinlein makes is a stern argument in favour of flogging as well as capital punishment in the context of military discipline. He also goes on to idealise a gruelling training, depicted in loving detail, and its end result in an ideal military man, disciplined and deadly.
However, Heinlein does not just want to turn out efficient killing machines. Rico's rise through the ranks promps him to sign up for Officer Training school. Here, we get a second dose of exposition. The political system in Heinlein's future earth is militarist meritocracy - only those who have succesfuly served a military term earn citizenship and the franchise. The system works, Heinlein says, not only because it ensures that only those who proven their commitment to defending the state can vote or run for office, but also because by its very nature it ensures that the very people who are most likely to launch a revolution instead have their energies diverted into military action.
These seem rather weak arguments - what would happen to the whole system if and when galactic peace is achieved? Also, Heinlein had clearly not heard of the concept of civil disobedience as an alternate means to political upheaval. Like any meritocracy, Heinlein's is ultimately flawed because there can be no one universal standard to deem a person to be a fit citizen.
So I don't really agree with all the arguments in this book. But I would not agree with those who call it a fascist work either - fascists emphasise the state over the individual, and even here, it is clear that Heinlein values the individual a great deal indeed, even if that individual has to be a military person to warrant approval.
I didn't really agree with much of what he had to say here, but oddly, I didn't find any of the exposition superfluous - except the three or four pages dedicated to explaining the workings of a combat suit. Perhaps that was just because it is a concept that has since been used much later SF.
To refer back to the topic title, I'd say this book is both SF and tract - because of the subject matter and the expository passages, it does serve the purpose of building a certain case for the military way of life as the finest expression of human values. On the other hand, if science fiction is supposed to be a literature of ideas, then this book surely qualifies, as a well-crafted vehicle for Heinlein's political ideas at the time.
Last edited:
