The House of the Scorpion (Scorpion, from here on out) is by far the easiest book I have read for this class (with the exception of WE3). Though the book has a straight-forward and somewhat predictable plot, the book is easy to understand with its familiar scenery, non-confusing vocabulary, well-developed characters and, most importantly, a deep and exciting story that entices you to keep reading ‘til the very last page. Though these elements of the book may seem odd in comparison to the other Science Fiction book I have read in this class, I did find that Scorpion has many elements that are similar to the other SciFi books I have read for this class.
One similarity can be found in the book Frankenstein. As someone mentioned in class on Tuesday, The Creature and Matt were both created, rather than born, into their respective worlds. Both the Creature and Matt later learn how they were created and realize how different they are to the rest of the world. Though they both handle this situation differently, they do make their own choices on the matter and become willing to accept who they are as long as there is someone to love them (too bad it didn’t work out that way for the Creature).
Another similarity can be found in the book Blindsight, as both this book and Scorpion are mostly told in the perspective of the main character. Though Blindsight is mostly told through the mind of Siri in the 1st person perspective, Scorpion takes on a similar perspective using the thoughts and opinions of Matt to shape the other characters and his world. With the book told in Matt’s point of view, I found it a bit hard to get a glimpse of the lives of the other characters. That’s why I found it hard to understand Siri’s teammates at first, as I only know what Siri knows and understand the world by what he perceives.
One more similarity can be found in the books Neuromancer, Lilith’s Brood, and Blindsight, which is the shock of being thrust into a strange, new environment and not knowing what to expect. In Scorpion, Matt became shocked in a new environment when he first entered the Alacrán home by Steven and Emilia and when he climbed over the mountains and looked upon Aztlán. He is taken aback by his new surroundings because it is something he has not experienced before in his life and needs time to adjust to know if it safe or not. The same can be said in Neuromancer, when Case smells grass for the first time, in Lilith’s Brood, when Lilith exits out of her apartment-like room in the vast ship of the Oankali, or in Blindsight, when Siri enters Rorschach for the first time.