In Who Goes There, the thing is inhumanly human, where imitation is not only a form of flattery, but a means of survival and prosperity. Campbell presents his what if the world was overrun by this monster and poses the question how do you know if something is real or an imitation. Near the end of the story, Barclay spots an albatross; Norris shoots at it. Both men are afraid it might be infected by the monster.
It’s curious that Campbell chose an albatross. The obvious reason is that an albatross is a bird native to that area and capable of long distance flight. But albatross also reminds me of Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in which the albatross can be good or bad (if you want something visual, check this out). It’s good until someone shoots it; in this case it becomes bad when Norris shoots. Are we to infer the bird is infected or that something very bad is about to happen? Then if you look up the word albatross, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines albatross as something that causes persistent deep concern or anxietyb : something that greatly hinders accomplishment. On the last page, the albatross is mentioned one last time, a source of great concern. Likewise the OED defines albatross as b. fig. [In allusion to Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner: see sense 2a.] A source or mark of misfortune, guilt, etc., from which one cannot (easily) be free; a burden or encumbrance. Will their doubt about the albatross cause them great consternation in the days, weeks, months, years to come?
While seemingly Who Goes There (and The Thing) seems to have a “happy” ending, the monster, thing, is dead before it could use the anti-gravity machine, how do they (we) know that it hasn’t already escaped. How do they (we) know if the escaped albatross is a real albatross or the thing imitating it (after all albatrosses can fly a long distance with or without the anti-gravity machine!)? I’m left wondering if Campbell meant to leave us wondering …
