Analysis Of Cordwainer Smith’s “The Dead Lady Of Clown Town”

Cordwainer Smith’s “The Dead Lady of Clown Town” gives us a future where everything seems perfect, nothing is needed, and people have a purpose. In this dystopian novella, there is evidence of how hope for humankind displays through compassion for all living beings. According to Yo-Yo Ma’s “Necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education,” empathy is crucial for today’s society, as it allows us to think and see from another’s perspective. It is the ultimate quality that acknowledges our identity as members of one human family. Smith’s novella warns the reader against being apathetic throughout most of the reading, as the under people fight for a chance of being equal, free, and treated as human beings.

In Fomalhaut III and the new world, everyone is born with a purpose and need. Except for Elaine, “She was born without being needed, without being wanted, without having a skill which could help or hurt any existing human being. She went into life doomed and useless”. Elaine the lay therapist (witch) was born out of a mere incident; she was not needed nor was she of any use for society, so she went on in life without a purpose. Moreover, in this dystopian world, there are underpeople which are animals modified with human feelings that can talk, feel, and love. However, they are not given recognition, freedom, medical care or even acknowledgment. The government (Instrumentality) refuses to treat the underpeople as anything more than disposable slaves, who are killed in slaughterhouses and replaced when needed. As being “repaired” would actually be acknowledging them as worthy living beings, so the Instrumentality just gets “rid” of them. Although many people feel that the underpeople are tools and not worthy, Elaine eventually realizes that they are indeed people.

The underpeople in Smith’s novella are portrayed as being animals and not worthy. Elaine says “They were just animals, things in the shape of man. Underpeople. Dirt”. She refers to the underpeople in that way towards the beginning of the novella, stating how she sees that they need help. However, she is unable to feel empathy towards them as they are unworthy of her time. These underpeople are constantly degraded in so many ways, to a point where they are not even acknowledged. One can compare this heinous discrimination to pure racism. One contrast one can observe with the underpeople and the non-oppressed groups (humans) is that the underpeople are clearly happier than the humans. Ma states, “We live in such a measuring society, people tend to put a person in a box they can put on their mental shelf”, referring to how people are so closed off on a particular idea that they refuse to open up and see things from another perspective.

The little dog girl D’Joan, who is the leader of the underpeople, is extremely wise, loving, and focused on getting the freedom and recognition that the underpeople crave and need. Elaine is needed in order to change little D’Joan into a young woman Joan, leader of the underpeople revolution, to fulfill her destiny. In making D’joan transform into Joan, makes the underpeople see that they are actually humans. However, being human does not mean they have compassion, as we can observe how Elaine acted in the beginning of the novella towards the underpeople. Lady Panc Ashash says that “When you meet real people, you will love them. That is all… If they kill you, you will love them”. Joan and Ashash tell all underpeople how they must love all humans, no matter of what they might say or how they might act.In addition to humans and underpeople, Smith’s novella includes characters such as Lady Panc Ashash, who was once a lady for the instrumentality, but now is a computer robot. Elaine, a human lay therapist (witch), who was born on accident. And an underperson by the name of D’Joan who is a “dog” with human thoughts. With the help of Ashash, they start a revolution that only lasts six minutes and covered one hundred and twelve meters. To make the “humans” see that the underpeople are too humans, they “fight” with love and affection. As they start the revolution and go through the doorway, Joan says to the humans “Dear people, we are people. We love you. We love you”. The underpeople as well as all, begin to chant love to the humans, so they could too see that they are no different. Ma’s essay emphasizes on empathy and how necessary it is for our society. Ma suggests that, “Empathy is the other key tool. Empathy and imagination. The artificial layering of different realities, are linked”, inferring that empathy is one’s capacity to feel what someone else is going through, giving you an insight on who they are and the possible decisions and situations they would have to make.

Smith’s novella gives the reader insight into how humans separated themselves from “animals” and how they see them as something disposable; something that can be easily obliterated without consequence. Despite how they are portrayed, underpeople are humans with feelings and emotions that deserve to be acknowledged, treated as equal and as human beings. They do possess feelings, and therefore should be treated with the same respect as the humans. Empathy, compassion, and love are crucial for a society. That is something much needed in Fomalhaut III as the “real” humans do not seem to have these qualities treasured for a successful society, but it is some qualities that the underpeople have, thus, making the underpeople no different or maybe even better than the real humans.