Butler is guilty of a minor bit of pandering. Also, many of the Earthling's observations, as recorded by Desi, seem too obviously geared toward providing some message about the reach of racism or the harm of religion without reason. Then there's the fodder Butler has provided for many future English professors in his use of Desi as a God figure. Finally, there's the ending, a happy one to be sure. But that's okay, too.
Readers are human and humans yearn.
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