The Egg
“The Egg” is a short story by Andy Weir. The story is a quick read, and, in less than 1000 words, Andy explores the sensitive subject of the afterlife. One of the most longstanding and unanswered questions is, “what happens after death”? Many people, religions, philosophers, and scientists have tried to crack the mystery of death and whether an afterlife exists or not. In his short story, Andy paints a possible fate of the human population by suggesting an optimistic meaning of life and death. An unnamed male protagonist dies on his way home, and he engages in a short conversation with his “maker.” The male character asks his maker whether he will be reincarnated, a question that leads to a short but deep conversation. The conversation between the male protagonist and the “almighty” brings out the themes of humanity, religion, and death. The meaning of humanity comes across as the dominant theme in the story, and Andy Weir uses characterization, symbolism, and diction as literary elements to develop the theme.
The story uses anonymous characters to develop the meaning of humanity as a theme. The protagonist is a 48-year old male who just died in a car crash. The other character is “God,” who can neither be described as male or female. Therefore, the characters have not been defined by individual traits that make them unique from the rest of humanity. When God explains to the man about his identity, God says, “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful and gigantic than you can possibly imagine” (Andy). From the statement, one gets the meaning that the soul unifies all human beings. Although each person possesses their unique traits, it is the soul that unites humanity, even in the afterlife. Also, God tells the man that his reincarnation will be “a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD,” meaning that all humanity is equal regardless of gender (Andy). Other characters are mentioned in the story, and they magnify the theme that all human beings are equal, despite the diversity in humanity. God tells the man, “In this universe, there’s just you and me” (Andy). Also, the man then mentions the names Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, Hitler, and Jesus Christ, and God affirms that all those characters and their followers are one. Therefore, all human beings in the universe are one element, whether male or female, rich or poor. The anonymity of the characters in the story enlightens one of the unification of all human beings despite all the visible differences.
Andy uses symbolism to enhance the theme of the meaning of humanity. An analogy is an essential element because it uses the known to explain the unknown. The first symbolism is the egg. When one reads the title of the story, one thinks of an egg and how an egg hatches to bring new life. Usually, for an egg to hatch successfully, it has to crack from the inside. When an egg is cracked from outside, the life inside the egg dies. Therefore, the egg symbolizes the importance of self-realization throughout humanity. When the man asks God why he keeps on dying and reincarnating, God tells the man that the whole purpose of reincarnation is for humanity to mature. God tells the man, “No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each life, you grow and mature and become larger and greater intellect” (Andy). Thus, the only way that man can mature is by gaining self-intellect and learning from life. According to Andy, the egg symbolizes humanity, where maturity and self-realization come from the inside. The names mentioned in the story are used to symbolize the oneness of humanity. When God reveals that all human beings are different incarnations of the man, the man mentions several names to assert that human beings are one. Abraham Lincoln and Jesus symbolize the good people in humanity. Abraham Lincoln is known for ending slavery in America and fighting for the rights of the minority. Jesus Christ is known for his selfless act of dying on the cross to save all humanity. On the other hand, Hitler and John Wilkes Booth symbolize the dark side of humanity. Hitler started the Holocaust that left approximately six million Jews dead. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln, despite Abraham ridding the world of slavery. The names symbolize the oneness of humanity despite each harboring a different personality. Furthermore, God tells the man, “every time you victimized someone, you victimized yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was or will be experienced by you” (Andy). Thus, despite all the diverse personality traits in the universe, all humanity is one. All actions, whether good or bad, reflect in humankind through the happiness or suffering of fellow human beings. The egg is a symbol representing self-realization, and the names symbolize that all humanity is one, regardless of the diversity of human beings.
The diction used in the story enhances the theme of humanity. As stated earlier, “The Egg” is a quick read of less than 1000 words. Therefore, Andy has utilized heavy imagery to develop the theme of the meaning of humanity in few but descriptive words. As the story begins, it is clear that the man is dead. The man was on his way home when he had a fatal road accident and died a painless death. After futile attempts by the EMTs to restore his life, the man dies living behind his wife and two children. The reader gets a vivid image of how the man dies through the descriptive language used at the beginning of the story. When a person dies, they leave a massive gap in the lives of their friends and family. Therefore, one would expect Andy to talk about death sympathetically. However, the choice of words by Andy portrays death as a casual event. God tells the man, “Yup. But do not feel bad about it. Everyone dies” (Andy). Such words develop the theme of the mortality of human beings. Instead of living a life full of bitterness and spite, one should strive to live happily and hopefully through all conditions because, in the blink of an eye, one could die. When the man brings about the topic of hell and heaven, God says that he will be reincarnated, in line with Hinduism faith. However, God does not uphold one religion as the supreme one. Instead, God tells the man, “All religions are right in their way” (Andy). Different people subscribe to different religions, values, and beliefs system. Just as Christians believe in Heaven and Hell, Hindus believe in reincarnation. The critical aspect is that all religions are right in their own way. Based on the words of God in the story, no single religion is superior to the rest. Therefore, religion is supposed to be a unifying factor to create togetherness among all human beings. The discussion about the soul also highlights humanity as a single entity. God describes the soul as magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic and more important than the mind and the human body. Despite the man living in different lives as different people, the soul remains unchanged and continues to grow with each experience. The choice of words by Andy creates an image in the mind of the reader. The reader gets the greater picture that despite the various personalities in human beings, all humanity is united by the soul. Also, the causal talk about death reminds the reader that one should spend their lives seeking self-intellect because death is inevitable.
In conclusion, Andy attempts to explain the mystery behind death and the afterlife. The literary elements used in the story depict death as a means of achieving something greater, rather than merely the end of life. Characterization, symbolism, and diction are used by Andy to develop the theme of humanity and the afterlife. Although all human beings are unique, humanity unites all people, and all ideologies about the afterlife are equally important, depending on different religions.
Work cited
Andy, Weir. The Egg. 14 October 2019 <http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html >.