Our discussion in the class prior led me to thinking back about what defines and distinguishes science fiction from other genres in literature. There was one comment that struck a chord with me; science fiction allows the author to explore different possibilities within the boundaries of worldly rules. Fantasy elements are added to create the entry way for these elements to be navigated. Such as it was in the time The Comet was published, two different people from entirely different walks of life could never have met under any normal circumstances. Through the idea of the rest of the city being wiped out except for these two people, Du Bois allows the reader to see the interactions between these two people: a poor black man and a rich white woman who on any other given day would ignore each other. Many science fiction novels/shows/movies I am personally drawn to have one underlying theme; to move forward, to see what lies ahead, and to build towards a better future and leave the ruins of the past behind. That notion is expressed in terms of what happens after a apocalyptic disaster along with two people of a different race coming together. Until the couple was interrupted, the two were prepared to move forward and start anew.
