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On the one hand, it is ironic that the Overlords look like devils, since they effectively take up the role of guardian angels—they step in to stop humanity from destroying itself with nuclear weapons or latent psychic abilities, and they miraculously intervene to rescue Jeffrey from the tsunami.
The story follows the peaceful alien invasion [1] of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia under indirect alien rule, at the cost of human identity and culture.
The second conceit is that these friendly aliens look exactly like a medieval conception of Satan. "Guardian Angel" was about challenging preconceived notions and the nature of prejudice, and the Overlords are the main symbol of that theme.
- Knowledge, Technology and Power
- The Problems of Utopian Society
- The Purpose of Humanity
In much of his fiction, Arthur C. Clarke supports the idea that knowledge, particularly knowledge of technology, equals power—and not just physical power, but psychological power as well. One of Clarke's three "Laws" is the idea that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In Childhood's End,the Overlords use their t...
While the main concepts of Childhood's Endrevolve around the irony of the Overlords as benevolent masters that look like "devils" and the division between technological and evolutionary achievement, the book also deals heavily with the possible problems of a utopian society. Before we are even aware that the Overlords have started making beneficial...
Several of Clarke's novels tackle the big questions of the meaning of human existence. Much like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End tries to find a purpose for humanity by putting it against a backdrop of alien intelligence. Clarke has often said that he believes humanity is meant to reach out into space and explore the stars. However, in Child...
“The Golden Age” begins with that revelation: The Overlords look like devils. Karellen initially invites two children into his ship and emerges with one on either arm. When viewed closely, the Overlords appear less humanoid than devils are typically portrayed, but they seem to be the inspiration for the legends of devils and demons in ...
The reason for these two aspects of the Overlords—their mythical appearance and magic-like technology—suggests a link between the supernatural and the scientific. That link is that the supernatural does exist, but it exists as science.
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Mentally gifted but physically barren, they insist only on global justice and order; they act to end wars, South African apartheid, and cruelty to animals. the Overlords all seem to be identical,...
