Review: the Original
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 26, 2011
If science makes another version or copy of yourself, how can you then be viewed as something unique? And what about your clone- what happens to all those thoughts, feelings, and memories? In this short story, Jason, a six-year old boy, may not be able to express these fears, but he does think to ask his parents, "Will my clone be happy?"On this planet, clones have a blue ID tattooed on the forehead, differentiating them from the 'real' people, which easily recalls history and our own tendency to brand someone as inferior because of religion or race. Similarly, these clones all serve a purpose, made only for a certain reason or job; none are created out of love or passion. As less than human and almost like slaves, they only exist to work on behalf of the Original.For some reason, Jason stops to wonder about this, this question of humanity and the need for happiness, freedom, and choice, and these are things this reader also thought about. This way of looking at someone as less than human and more as a by-product of science, as a thing unworthy of consideration or concern, is really sad, with the ending of this short story being very disturbing and even heart-breaking. A very well-done short story that manages to pull all sorts of thoughts and feelings from the reader.