Alien Encounters Unraveled: The Strange Enigma of A. Bertram Chandler's "The Cage"
In a fascinating short story published in The Magazine Of Fantasy and Science Fiction in June 1957, author A. Bertram Chandler presents an intriguing reversal of roles: humans as the caged subjects in an alien zoo. The story, titled "The Cage," explores the concept of alien zoo keepers, challenging readers to consider the ethics of observation and dominance in interspecies relationships.
The plot revolves around a crew stranded on an unexplored planet after their ship crashes and explodes. The aliens on this planet treat the humans as if they are wild animals, placing them in cages and observing them for their own purposes. The crew, now the exhibits, must navigate their new reality, with themes of captivity, control, and the arbitrary nature of dominance at the forefront.
The aliens feed the humans a nutritious goop fungus every day, but the crew is forced to eat it to survive. The planet is characterized by constant drizzle and the presence of a peculiar fungus that eats away at clothes and technology. Despite these hardships, the crew's human nature emerges, as they attempt to craft baskets to prove their intelligence, a behaviour that, unfortunately, is also exhibited by birds.
The story's resolution offers a surprising twist that reflects human nature, as the crew finds a way to gain their freedom. The marriage subplot serves to highlight the potential for a futuristic society to revert to basic human behaviours, while the fight over marriage echoes 1960s Beach Party films. The captured humans are kept in a habitat that matches what the aliens think is their home, characterized by hot temperatures and constant drizzle.
Interestingly, the aliens believe they are keeping the humans comfortable. However, the humans are unable to communicate effectively with the aliens, and they are unable to make fire due to the constant moisture in their habitat. The author, A. Bertram Chandler, could have potentially chosen a different method to convey this point, but the story's elements fit seamlessly into a season of The Twilight Zone.
"The Cage" by A. Bertram Chandler is available to read in various anthologies and on Archive.org, where it was first published in the June 1957 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. It serves as a thought-provoking exploration of captivity, dominance, and the complexities of interspecies relationships, offering a unique perspective on the human condition.
- In the face of their captivity, the crew, like characters in a book, weave baskets to demonstrate their intelligence, ironically mirroring a behavior commonly observed in birds.
- The aliens, mistaking their damp habitat for a comfortable home for the humans, overlook the necessity of fire, a basic necessity available in most science fiction and entertainment depictions of the human condition.
