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58 pages 1 hour read

The Caves of Steel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1953

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Literary Devices

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is an implied comparison or contrast. Isaac Asimov uses juxtaposition throughout The Caves of Steel to show the conflict between supposed opposites. For example, Lije’s descriptions of the City come shortly before those of Spacetown. Asimov uses these descriptions to highlight the benefits of Spacer life and underscore the need for a change to Earth’s living situation. The repeated use of juxtaposition also supports the thematic dualities in the novel, technology versus tradition and human versus machine. The constant comparisons Lije makes between himself to Daneel highlight the weaknesses and strengths of each, allowing the reader to draw conclusions about commonality and superiority.

Anecdote

Anecdote is using an interesting story, event, or recollection to support a central theme or point. Asimov uses anecdotes to develop characters and themes in The Caves of Steel. Lije’s brooding often centers on past instances in his life or stories Jessie has told him—these small anecdotes illuminate Jessie and Lije’s nature. The story of Jessie’s name is central to her identity. Lije’s memory of running the strips shows his sense of daring and curiosity. The anecdote about the Barrier Riots underscores the theme of The Core Difference Between Robots and Humans and Tradition Versus Technology. Asimov relies on anecdotes to show past events that inform the present society and personality of the central characters.

Anagnorisis

Anagnorisis is the moment in a story when a main character, typically the protagonist, discovers a truth. Common to tragedies and mysteries, this device is the moment when the clues come together and the central conflict is resolved. Asimov uses this device and even describes it in the text, “It was in that way that the “sentence” he had been waiting for came to Elijah Baley, and the opaque jelly shuddered and settled and changed into luminous transparency (247). This moment of clarity is a description of anagnorisis. Lije realizes that Enderby was behind the murder and R. Sammy’s destruction, and suddenly the whole case makes sense. Asimov’s use of anagnorisis keeps the reader engaged and supports Lije’s determination to find the truth. The final sentence that unlocks the answer comes from Daneel, underscoring the thematic arc of humans and robots working together. The C/Fe pair solve the murder, supporting Asimov’s argument that technology aids humanity’s progress.

Metaphor

A metaphor compares two non-similar things that illuminate a connection between abstract truths. The novel’s central metaphor is that the cities are caves of steel. Lije describes the cities as “a semiautonomous unit, economically all but self-sufficient. It could roof itself in, gird itself about, burrow itself under. It became a steel cave, a tremendous, self-contained cave of steel and concrete” (21). Each city is its own enclosed unit. The result is that city people suffer from agoraphobia and complete separation from the natural world. This central metaphor drives the thematic tension of Tradition Versus Technology. Science fiction often offers metaphors about the present-day world set in a fictional future. In the 1950s, New York and other cities experienced overcrowding and pollution, and the question remained as to whether that lifestyle was supportable. In the novel, Julius Enderby and the Medievalists hope to solve the problem by escaping the cities and returning to the soil. The Spacers push for the C/Fe culture to drive further planetary exploration and decrease Earth’s overpopulation. Asimov’s point is that progress is the only solution.

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