Essay Questions

Would you consider the novel to be a parody of the science-fiction genre? Support your answer.

Solaris falls under the category of science fiction because of the more obvious components such as technology surpassing our current levels and the presence of extraterrestrial life. Apart from those more familiar elements of a science-fiction story however the themes that are discussed in the novel run counter to science and lean more heavily towards metaphysics and existential philosophy; so much so that it reads almost like religious reflections. The element of parody comes woven in with the philosophical rumination, stating indirectly that when man is confronted with something completely beyond his understanding the best way to approach the mystery is with faith and not science.

What is the significance of Gibarian’s Visitor?

Gibarian’s Visitor comes in the form of a gigantic, semi-nude African of indeterminate origin and the appearance of the Visitor is intended as a visual parallel cum historical allusion to other famous human expedition trips to the New World back on Earth. The author criticizes this particular scientific expedition as being no more noble than trips being made to less advanced civilizations in order to gather slaves, plunder natural resources, or to gratify human vanity.

What does Rheya symbolize?

Rheya, both as a living human being, or rather the memory of a once living human being, and the alien clone created by Solaris is a multilayered symbol. She can be taken as a symbol of Kris’ inability to move away from the past because as a person he lives nearly all his waking hours in it, consumed by guilt and regret. She is also a symbol of his failure as a husband and to a certain extent, a failure as a scientist as his research is compromised by his emotional involvement.