Stories of Your Life and Others

Chiang uses the process of writing as a symbol in several stories. In “Division by Zero,” when Renee writes out the formalism that will prove the ultimate inconsistency of mathematics, writing symbolizes a process of growing self-awareness, through which a person realizes their life has lost its foundational core. It would be much healthier for Renee if she could stop herself from writing out the formation, but she is unable to prevent the knowledge that matures in her. The process of writing fulfills the truth of her loss of purpose.

In “Story of Your Life,” there is a similar concept. Through the process of writing in their two-dimensional language, the aliens fulfill the future by making it happen as part of reality. Writing symbolizes Louise’s growing ability to grasp the past, present, and future in a single moment, because it is through learning to write the alien language that she becomes able to see the world differently. Writing also represents the process of her coming to terms with the future she will live out. As she masters the heptapods’ written language, Louise combines her human thoughts with those of the aliens and accepts their non-sequential understanding of the world.

In ‘Seventy-Two Letters” writing plays a significant role in the plot, as the ancient Jewish ritual of naming forms the basis of nomenclature. This symbolizes the immense power of the written word, a word that is able to bring life to inanimate objects. Chiang uses writing in this story to emphasize the almost magical properties of writing, in its literal and figurative sense. 

In “Liking What You See: A Documentary,” Ted Chiang utilizes the concept of calliagnosia—the inability to perceive beauty or attractiveness—as a symbol of society’s obsession with lookism. From an early age, most people receive input as to what constitutes beauty standards in their society or culture, and what Chiang underlines in his story through the symbol of calliagnosia is that people necessarily define beauty standards through their opposites—through the idea of what does not conform to those standards. 

The calli procedure thus represents a possibility for humans to free themselves from the burden of trying to achieve impossible standards, often dictated by the consumer-based industries which earn money from perpetuating such divisions. Chiang even states in his Story Notes, “But if calliagnosia ever becomes available, I for one will give it a try” (271), which reveals that he supports this idea as an experiment in overcoming lookism. 

The author threads the leitmotif of intelligence through almost all of his stories. In “Tower of Babylon,” Hillalum’s intelligence makes him question the meaning behind the centuries-old task of building the Tower. Moreover, his ability to think clearly saves his life at the end of the story. “Understand” revolves around the issue of intelligence, as it explores what would happen to the human psyche upon achieving superintelligence. The final conflict between Leon and Reynolds is thus a clash of titans of intellect, between men who are able to think in ways that make them understand the very nature of existence.

In “Division by Zero,” Renee’s intelligence brings about her downfall, as she completely defines herself through her intellect and her love of mathematics. In “Story of Your Life,” Louise’s ability to grasp the intricacies of alien thinking and their language changes her life forever.

Ted Chiang uses his stories to explore the positive and negative sides of intelligence, and he benefits from the use of science fiction and fantasy genres by imagining worlds where intelligence can grow exponentially, allowing characters to achieve transcendence or become mired in tragedy.