Stranger in a Strange Land Chapters XVII–XIX Summary & Analysis

Mike and company fly to Douglas's Executive Palace. Upon arrival, Jubal insists that one of Douglas's assistants bring Douglas a letter that Jubal has spent the previous night drafting. Mike holds a press conference. A reporter asks him what he understands about inheritance law, and Mike begins quoting lengthy definitions he has read in Jubal's law books.

Mike is reunited with Dr. Mahmoud, a semantician who had been on the Champion mission to Mars and had studied the Martian language. Mike and Mahmoud converse in Martian. Mahmoud is a Muslim, raised in proper British society. He and Jubal are suspicious of each other, but treat each other courteously. Mahmoud is impressed to find that Jill has learned the Martian word for "water-brother."

Upon discovering that Douglas is planning to have their meeting in a large hall, attended by many representatives of Earth, Jubal insists that their Martian delegation be granted equal seating in the room. Jubal also insists that a Martian flag be flown alongside the Federation flag—there is no Martian flag, but Jubal demands that one be improvised. Jubal similarly insists that a Martian anthem be played after the Federation anthem. Jubal gets Champion crew members and others to sit on their side of the table.

Senator Boone invites Mike, on behalf of the Fosterite Bishop Digby, to attend a Fosterite service. Jubal tells Boone that Mike has expressed interest in the Fosterites, and that they will take him up on his invitation—Jubal intends to go with Mike and protect him. A voice announces Douglas's entrance.

Analysis

When Jubal begins to dictate an exploitation story entitled "I Married a Martian," it is almost as if Heinlein is stepping out of the story to point out the multiple levels at which his narrative is operating. Jubal starts weaving his tale at a most inappropriate moment, shortly after some police officers have been disappeared from existence, and shortly before another group of officers is about to arrive. Heinlein deflates the most suspenseful moment in the adventure story to have a character start dictating an adventure story. Though the suspense that Heinlein has been creating is effective, it is clear in this moment that Heinlein's story is far more complex and self-reflexive than Jubal's "I Married a Martian." It is telling, however, that Jubal amends his title to "I Married a Human"—just as Heinlein certainly has with this novel. Jubal thinks of a way to twist a typical science fiction convention to be seen from a new perspective.

Since Heinlein's narrative is operating on multiple levels, we can never be certain exactly where he is leading us. He throws in a number of red herrings throughout. The political drama that comes slightly more into focus in these three chapters is extremely complex, and obviously well thought out by Heinlein, but we are never allowed to catch more than glimpses of it. We know that Douglas fears losing his political power to an organization called the Eastern Coalition and we can assume that Heinlein only mentions such peripheral political intrigue as a means of setting in motion plot gears that will become important later. It is easy to imagine a science fiction narrative, for example, the kind that Jubal might write for a magazine, in which Mike becomes the focal point of a massive global power struggle. In this case, however, the politics are there to be examined and dissected if we are interested, but Heinlein's attention will shift, suggesting that global politics are less interesting to him than interpersonal relationships.

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