“The Immortals” (Martin Amis)
Sir Martin Louis Amis
“The Immortals” was written by Martin Amis as part of his short story collection centered around the topic of nuclear weaponry. The collection, titled Einstein’s Monsters, is written in his signature satirical style and considers the possible futures that humanity could face during and after the age of nuclear fallout. Amis was born in Oxford to renowned poet and novelist, Kingsley Amis, and Hilary Kilmarnock. His father did not agree with much of his writing, and their styles differed substantially. Later, his father would marry another author, Elizabeth Jane Howard, who is credited more with his introduction to literature than his father. Martin’s unique voice shapes the stories that he writes and the messages that are communicated through them. His sense of humor contributes to the general absurd tone of his work, but does not prevent the extreme pessimism from seeping in. As a satirist, many of the topics that Amis wrote about were in the realm of politics and the faults of modern society. During his career, he wrote over 20 novels as well as many collections of poems and essays. Some of his works, along with interviews, point to some controversial opinions and biases that are not typically morally defensible today. However, one of his beliefs that has stood the test of time is the dangers that nuclear weaponry presents to humanity."The Immortals”
The story begins with a narrator who describes humanity as it is falling apart, listing “solar radiation, the immunity problem, the rat-and-roach diet, and so on” as the threats that they are facing. (Amis 100). As he sets the scene of this apocalyptic world, he makes sure to distinguish himself from the rest of humanity. Early into this story, he makes the bold statement: “I am the Immortal” (Amis 100). From there, he describes his life as a being who has been present on Earth for all of existence. This personal narrative continues for several pages, as plants and animals begin appearing on the planet. The evolution of humans brings more variety and interest to his life, but he often laments their fleeting nature. He then begins reflecting on how, as humanity has begun crumbling down and he sees no hope for the planet’s future, he wants to find something that is capable of killing him, as nothing else he has encountered has been able to do so.He states that the apocalypse happened in 2045, and he traveled to Tokyo where he knew that it would occur. When the bomb hit, he said that he stood with his arms outstretched to welcome it. But he didn’t die. He describes the blast several ways: radiation which “caused major headaches later on," a zap from the electromagnetic pulse, and the incredibly extreme heat.(Amis 105). Tokyo has been devastated, but he is alive, along with some others that he calls “deeply sick and deeply crazy.”
He notes that despite the total destruction, there were still rogue satellites and submarines firing at, as he describes it, “a graveyard” (Amis 107). After the nuclear strike, the narration still jumps around in time, as he tells story after story about a pet elephant that he had in ancient China or the celebrity that he knew in London. Throughout all of this rambling, he is mourning the loss of humanity, and how he is now doomed to be alone for eternity. As he is doing so, he says…
“They think that they will live forever. The poor bastards, if they only knew. I have a delusion also, sometimes. Sometimes I have this weird idea that I am just a second-rate New Zealand schoolmaster who never did anything or went anywhere and is now painfully and noisily dying of solar radiation along with everybody else. It's strange how palpable it is, this fake past, and how human: I feel I can almost reach out and touch it.” (Amis 111).
This statement, while not completely unexpected, still has a shock factor in the realization that the man is suffering from either mental or physical trauma from the blast, and has created this persona of another version of himself in his head to help cope with the fact that he is going to die. It seems to bring comfort to him though, and he remains convinced of his invincibility through the end of the story. He repeats his claim from the first paragraph once again, but this time with a bit more hesitation.“I ... I am the Immortal” (Amis 111)
Guilt in the Atomic Age
Immortality in Relation to Energy Consumption
This story revolves around the concept of immortality, but Amis could have chosen a number of other delusions to show the physical and mental trauma that the survivors of the bomb experienced. However, the decision to use immortality allows for a broader message about the human perspective on energy resources to be communicated. The survivors’ inability to accept that they are going to die, despite seeing the mass destruction and the disease and hunger in those around them, shows the tendency for people to refuse to believe that something bad could happen to them. This ties to energy consumption because despite the tangible evidence that the Earth is being severely harmed by extraction, the desire for fuel remains the same. Earth is treated as if it is immortal, but with rising sea levels and deforestation and ocean acidification and so much more, it won’t appear to be that way for much longer.
Conclusion
This story, despite its short length and fictional nature, manages to effectively communicate the anti-nuclear perspective that Amis was hoping to put out into the world. The absurdity of the storyline allows for the few glimpses of reality to work as tools to highlight the pure misery caused by nuclear war. Viewing the mental and physical devastation through the lens of satire creates a different feeling than seeing it outright; comedy being interwoven with the suffering makes it almost more repulsive. The approach of short story fiction to this issue provides more accessibility in understanding works about nuclear war, greater creative freedoms for the author to influence emotion, and for humanity to look into the future and see itself.Works Cited
Amis, Martin. “The Immortals.” Einstein’s Monsters. Jonathan Cape, 1987. Accessed 22 July 2024.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Martin Amis.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Amis. Accessed 28 July 2024.
Levy, Charles. “Atomic Cloud Rises Over Nagasaki, Japan.” Photograph. August 1945.https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nagasakibomb.jpg. Accessed 28 July 2024.
Onuka, Masami. “Victim of Atomic Bomb 002.” Photograph. August 1945. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victim_of_Atomic_Bomb_002.jpg. Accessed 28 July 2024.
Yamahata, Yosuke. “A-bomb effects in Hamaguchi-machi district, Nagasaki.” Photograph. August 1945. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-bomb_effects_in_Hamaguchi-machi_district,_Nagasaki.jpg. Accessed 28 July 2024.
This page has paths:
- Nuclear Texts José Vergara
