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katharine_opal 's review for:
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
by Harlan Ellison
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't read all of the short stories; I only read the "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" part, which is roughly 11 pages long. Mostly read this because the creator of another piece of media I've been watching stated they had some inspiration from this story, so I was curious about it.
I don't know how to feel about this short story. It is very unique, and I think for the time it was written, probably like nothing else out there. But Harlan Ellison's apparent hatred for humanity and women worms its way through the story, and it's very obvious in the few short sentences that focus on Ellen. Some of Ted's mental dialogue about Ellen made me wince, and I'm still unsure if this was meant to show that Ted is a shitty person or if that's how Harlan Ellis feels about women in general. Apparently, a lot of other stories by this author have characters speaking about women in similar misogynistic ways. This story doesn't feel like there is a deeper meaning to it; it feels more like <i>"If there were two guys on the moon and one of them killed the other with a rock, would that be fucked up or what?"</i> type of story, but with an acid trip twist. I'm still fairly conflicted about this short story. I like it in the fact that it IS interesting and how mind bendy it is. But the weird hatred for women, and especially black women, turns me off to it.
Also yes, I know, it's 1960s scifi, which is usually rife with casual misogyny and thinly veiled hatred for women. I can still acknowledge it's a product of its time, but not like that it shows its age so poorly. This is one of those "Everyone should read this at least once, just to experience it" type of stories.
I don't know how to feel about this short story. It is very unique, and I think for the time it was written, probably like nothing else out there. But Harlan Ellison's apparent hatred for humanity and women worms its way through the story, and it's very obvious in the few short sentences that focus on Ellen. Some of Ted's mental dialogue about Ellen made me wince, and I'm still unsure if this was meant to show that Ted is a shitty person or if that's how Harlan Ellis feels about women in general. Apparently, a lot of other stories by this author have characters speaking about women in similar misogynistic ways. This story doesn't feel like there is a deeper meaning to it; it feels more like <i>"If there were two guys on the moon and one of them killed the other with a rock, would that be fucked up or what?"</i> type of story, but with an acid trip twist. I'm still fairly conflicted about this short story. I like it in the fact that it IS interesting and how mind bendy it is. But the weird hatred for women, and especially black women, turns me off to it.
Also yes, I know, it's 1960s scifi, which is usually rife with casual misogyny and thinly veiled hatred for women. I can still acknowledge it's a product of its time, but not like that it shows its age so poorly. This is one of those "Everyone should read this at least once, just to experience it" type of stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt