FREE ESSAY ON ALL YOU ZOMBIES

ALL YOU ZOMBIES

In the story, All You Zombies, there are many paradoxes that Heinlein touches upon. One
being, the ability to travel 
back and forth through time. This jumping from one time to another would allow one to
arrive at a time that he or 
she is already in causing there to be two of the same person at once. In fact, this is
the
scenario that occurs in the 
short story. It all starts when the bartender approaches a sad soul setting at the bar.
He
asks the fellow to tell him 
what is wrong. Though reluctant to, the gentleman does after being persuaded to by a
bottle of wine. The deal was 
that if his story was worse then the bartenders he could keep the bottle all for himself.
This
is a paradox because the 
reader finds out later in the story that both men are one in the same with the held of
time
travel. The bartender 
knowing this has nothing to loose because either way he wins the bottle of wine. Time
travel, in this story, is 
symbolized by the ring that the bartender wares. Like the ring, with no end or
beginning,
time, through time travel 
has no end or beginning allowing one to travel through out time with no interruptions.
The
ring was also said to be 
warn "to keep women off." This being that the bartender himself was once a woman(Jane)
before he had an, 
unwilling operation. This operation was done after Jane had a caesarean and the doctor
found out that she had "two 
full sets of organs." When Jane awoke to the bad news she was wrapped tightly in
bandages causing her, know a 
him, to feel "Like a mummy." This mummy like feeling is the symbolism for the rest of
his
life. Once a she now being 
restricted into a mans body with his life and his fate sealed with him in the bandages.
Another paradox is when he 
says to the bartender, after being interrupted by him, "Who's telling this story?"
Although
the reader, like the story 
teller, does not know that in fact, he is the bartender. So they are both telling the
story
because they are one in the 
same. This is made possible again by time travel, allowing him to be at two place at one
time. The mystery finally 
unravels for him and the reader with this comment, "Now you know who he is - and after
you think it over you'll 
know who you are . . . and if you think hard enough, you'll figure out who the baby is .
. .
and who I am." With 
these words he came to realize that they are all one in the same. Though he is many
different people at once he still 
feels alone missing the innocent, childishness that he once had. This is apparent when
he
says, "There isn't anybody 
but me Jane-here alone in the dark." This time travel all took place because the
character
needed to tell his sad 
story to someone. Being that he himself is the only one that would understand, he
traveled
back in time to talk it 
over with himself. Robert Heinlein does a good job keeping the reader in suspense by not
allowing him or her to 
know that the characters are one is the same.