Sunday/The Alchemist's Gate
Ted Chiang is a writer of several books of short stories with unusual sci-fi concepts. (His story "Story of Your Life" was the basis for the film, Arrival.)
"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is a story of time travel. As in all time travel stories, there are some contradictions but prominent is the idea of fixed history and the need to come to peace with the past. In an interview, Chiang said he chose to place the story in the Islamic culture because he was interested in the Arabian Nights' tales within tales and in the culture's "acceptance" of fate. There are other non-Western qualities of the story setting too, like a formality that never becomes stilted, a politeness that becomes easy.
But the culture also reflects the themes of the story, forgiveness, repentance, and atonement.
Belief in God allows many to accept the tragedy of life. Faith permits those very notions of forgiveness, repentance, and atonement. Is Chiang implying the West no longer supplies the environment for these essential human needs?
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