In the Comet, the comet signified a social leveling force, where for but a moment, “Death [the comet’s destruction became], the leveler! … And the revealer” (268) Du Bois presents his what if the world ended and there were only two very different people left, what might happen. In this new world, the black man and white woman might repopulate the world, begin anew. Certainly in the 1920s when this was written, it would have been a very avant-garde (and perhaps very risky) idea(l) to put forth, as segregation did not come to a legal end until after Du Bois’ death (though segregation persists to this day, particularly in some areas). To think something like a comet, in this case a seemingly small one that only affects NYC, might make such an impact is mind boggling. Recently, we had a “near miss” asteroid on 6/27/11, and there is a comet due on (or around) 12/21/12. Predictions of the end of the world as we know it abound, some of them based on the collision of a comet/asteroid with the earth. If Du Bois were alive today, would it be the same what-if scenario? Or, would it be a different one? What would your what-if scenario be?
We have movies galore that look at how the end of the world might look like. In Waterworld, global warming has melted the polar caps and most of the world is underwater. Water and dirt have become rare commodities and people search for a rumored place called Dryland. Hierarchy among humans remains. And, then, of course, there is a mariner, a man with gills and webbed feet (the “hero”, outcast, much like Jim). The 2012 movie deals with yet more disasters and humanity’s ability to surmount these difficulties together. While both movies have a relatively “happy” ending, The Comet’s ending is more mixed. Sure the two survive, but it’s back to the way things were. Had Hollywood made a movie based on The Comet, would it too had a “happy” ending? Would they have changed it to almost unrecognizable (in some instances) as Frankenstein was?
