Tina Zhang: "Relevancy of SFF to College Apps"

Relevancy of SFF to College Apps

By

Tina Zhang

            As a first-semester senior in December, I know something that’s on everyone’s mind—college apps. Even for students who advocate that the Ivy Leagues are for snobs, there are parental expectations and general pressure for academic excellence to consider. In the midst of ever-growing competition and record-low acceptance rates, SFF seems like an unlikely savior. I find its themes of escape and recovery as well as existentialism highly relevant to my daily struggles, for they relieve uncertainties about the future and remind me that, as overwhelming as it seems, college isn’t everything.

In his essay “Fantasy and Belief,” Philip Martin claims that “fantasy celebrates the nonrational,” for the main characters, or heroes, always manage to overcome tremendous odds and accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. For instance, Sophie Hatter, the protagonist of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, should be doomed to failure because she’s the eldest of three daughters, and her situation only worsens when the wicked Witch of the Waste turns her into an old woman. At this point, leaving her home to seek her fortune is probably the most irrational and dangerous decision possible, but that’s exactly what Sophie chooses, and she somehow  manages to not only lift her curse but also realize her gift for magic and find true love. Similarly, consider the character Aimee from the short story “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss” by Kij Johnson, who “was fired from her job in the same week she found out her sister had colon cancer… [and had] gone insane for a time and made a series of questionable choices.” Just when her life seems truly hopeless, a random stranger pops out of nowhere and sells her a magical circus bus of monkeys that leads her on a healing journey. She then finds love and the courage to return to a normal life. Such fantasy stories don’t reason—they believe, and they believe that everything will be all right. They relieve the typical high school senior, who, upon filling out the Common Application, curses themselves for not working harder for award X, leadership position Y, etc. Student readers, by comparing themselves to heroes of fantasies, gain fresh hope that regardless of horrible mistakes they’ve made in the past, their dream schools may actually not be out-of-reach. Such “blind faith” is not always without reward, either.

            Science fiction is quite rational compared to fantasy, but I’m still intrigued by its existential themes. Education should be a means to a fulfilling life, not an end, but it has become so overwhelming for today’s students that teenage depression and suicides have become legitimate concerns. Because science fiction tends to examine the influence of technology on humanity in a broad sense, it allows students to see things in perspective. One of my favorite short stories would be “Pretty Boy Crossover” by Pat Cadigan, which concerns a “Pretty Boy” who is given the rare offer of becoming digitalized. If he accepts, he would become a “blip on a chip” and lose his humanity, but he would also be forever young and “Pretty.” This story is relatable to high school students who, like the Pretty Boy, fear wasting opportunities of youth and later regretting their decisions. Ultimately, the Pretty Boy rejects the offer and embraces uncertainties about the future as something that makes life meaningful. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, another interesting read, concerns the human race as it recovers from a nuclear holocaust and heads straight into another one. Spoiler alert: a lot of people die. As morbid as the story is, its theme of death actually highlights the preciousness of life. By detailing the last thoughts of major characters like Brother Francis, Dom Paulo, the Poet, and Abbot Zerchi, Miller conveys that life is fragile, unfair, and often insignificant. I must admit that I felt thankful to be alive in the 21^st century after reading this novel, and college apps suddenly seemed much less important than they did before.

            So whenever you have another mental breakdown about college, or just life in general, go read SFF. I, for one, couldn’t have survived first semester senior year without it, and I recommend fantasy with recovery/escape themes and science fiction on existential topics especially. As the dreaded finals and college decision release dates approach, may these stories give you the courage to face selective colleges and terrifying teachers with confidence, as well as the ability to brush off rejections like they’re nothing.