Character Analysis
Karellen and the Overlords is a better band name than One Direction. And this is one of the few things we can say for sure about these enigmatic alien rulers.
The Overlords are always present in Childhood's End—their arrival kicks the novel off; their departure is where the story ends—yet in-between, we get only hints and glimpses of what these guys are really about. This not only leaves us with a mystery on our hands; it leaves us with one that can be solved a number of different ways depending on your personal reading of the novel. Good times.
Take Me to Your Leader
You might expect an alien visitor to say "Take me to your leader" when they show up on Earth, but Karellen is more like, "Guess what: There's no need to take me to your leader because I am your leader, and I know exactly where I am." That's right: He shows up and immediately starts running the show.
Karellen's leadership of Earth is very paternal in nature. In fact, the title of the novel, Childhood's End, hints at the idea that humanity is in a juvenile state, and it is papa-bear Karellen's task to help us mature up already.
Remember this speech Karellen gives to the people of Earth:
"Your race, in its present stage of evolution, cannot face that stupendous challenge. One of my duties has been to protect you from the powers and forces that lie among the stars—forces beyond anything that you can ever imagine." (14.32)
That's totally a dad speech, only on a universal scale. Daddy Karellen must protect humanity (read: his children) from the dangers of the universe (read: the real world). The Overlord leader probably sees Jan smuggling himself aboard the Overlord ship as the equivalent of a teenager stealing the car keys and joyriding around the galaxy.
But like any overbearing father figure, Karellen can be a bit stern, very manipulative, and borderline cruel. For instance:
- He lets the Freedom League kidnap Stormgren to suit his own ends (3.152).
- He doesn't understand the purpose of human entertainment, such as riding donkeys to the bottom of the Grand Canyon instead of using comfy aircars (9.3).
- He consistently hides his true objective from mankind.
- He takes the Overmind-to-be children away from their parents, causing extreme, suicidal grief for the last generation of humanity, not to mention Fey the dog. (21.11)
One could argue that Karellen's actions are for the greater good. If Karellen didn't take the children away from their parents, those psychic-powered children might have killed their parents in extremely painful ways without even knowing it. And we'll admit, Karellen's a more responsible literary father figure in many regards than others we could mention.
But whether Karellen is a good papa or a bad daddy, whether he does what is best for humanity or just for himself, whether he's the story's protagonist or its antagonist, ultimately depends upon your own reading of the character. Clarke leaves Karellen open to interpretation—so all we'll say now, is that there is plenty of evidence to support understanding him as a good guy or a seriously bad dude.
A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Fun fact: We never see any female members of the Overlords throughout the story. At least, we don't think we do….
Either way, let's chat a little about why the Overlords look like something from Dante's Inferno. Not sure what we're referring to? The Overlords look exactly like classic demons:
There was no mistake. The leathery wings, the little horns, the barbed tail—all were there. The most terrible of all legends had come to life, out of the unknown past. Yet now it stood smiling, in ebon majesty, with the sunlight gleaming upon its tremendous body, and with a human child resting trustfully on either arm. (6.18)
The Overlords fit the description of the devils and demons of myth perfectly. They aren't supernatural creatures, though—instead, their existence can be accounted for by completely natural processes, such as evolution.
Interestingly enough, the technology of the Overlords also seems supernatural but follows the laws of the universe that can be explained by science—although it's a science that is completely unknown to humanity. Consider this scene:
It was the sound of ten thousand people screaming with the pain of the same wound—ten thousand people who, when they had recovered from the shock, found themselves completely unharmed. But that was the end of that bullfight, and indeed of all bullfighting, for the news spread rapidly. (3.126)
The attack that hits the bullfighting fans is technically the result of some kind of weapon, but the technology is so advanced that the quote makes it sound like magic. What happens is beyond human comprehension, so for all intents and purposes, kind of like turning water into blood or sending a swarm of locusts.
In fact, that Joe guy who kidnaps Stormgren even suggests the link between Overlord technology and magic when he says:
"We're pretty sure that Karellen can see and hear everything that happens on the surface of the Earth—but unless he uses magic, not science, he can't see underneath it." (3.54)
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.
Here's another way to think about it: Supernatural phenomena such as ghosts and telepathy are completely natural, but our science just hasn't discovered/figured them out yet. With the Overlords, we find a species that has solved these unsolved mysteries. In fact, Karellen even says as much:
"All down the ages there have been countless reports of strange phenomena—poltergeists, telepathy, precognition—which you had named but never explained. […] But they exist, and, if it is to be complete, any theory of the universe must account for them." (20.11)
Through the Overlords, the novel tries to do just that.
No Overmind for You
But for all their technological powers, there is one avenue to power the Overlords cannot enter: the Overmind.
The Overlords turn out to be servants to an even greater alien entity they call the Overmind. They were sent to mankind to prepare the human species for entrance into the alien race, but the irony is that the Overlords themselves know very little about their own masters and can never become a part of their order. As Karellen notes:
"Again and again we had studied the process we have been sent to foster, hoping that we might learn to escape from our own limitations. But we have glimpsed only the vague outlines of the truth. You called us the Overlords, not knowing the irony of that title. Let us say that above us is the Overmind, using us as the potter uses his wheel." (20.19)
What limitations prevent the Overlords from transcending to the Overmind are never fully known, but there are hints.
One trait that distinguishes humanity from the Overlords is that people have art while the resident aliens do not. This is evident in the world they build for humanity, one with every gadget and do-dad we could ever imagine but where art has stagnated. It can also be seen in the museum on the Overlords' planet. As Jan notes, all the exhibits in the Earth section of the museum contain nothing but inventions, technologies, and scientific endeavors—there are no paintings, works of literature, or the like (22.31-32).
Ultimately, while more powerful than humanity to start, we learn that the Overlords are at an evolutionary dead-end. Their scientific powers have given them mastery over the universe, but it seems to have come at the expense of their ability to grow as a species. Humanity, on the other hand, can continue to change and evolve, not thanks to technology or science, but instead because of our artistic creations. As we create, we grow and change.
As Karellen says, "When our race is forgotten, part of yours will still exist. Do not, therefore, condemn us for what we were compelled to do. And remember this—we shall always envy you." Looks like the student has become the master.
Overlord Roll Call
Karellen is the head-honcho of the Overlords, but a few other members of the alien race pop up every now and then. Each can be characterized very similarly to Karellen: They are rational, scientific, and reason without emotion. You know, Vulcans.
Here are the three other Overlords who get names in the story—even though they are spelt like Clarke tossed a game of Boggle on the ground and read the results.
- Rashaverak: This is the Overlord who puts in an appearance at Rupert Boyce's party. He later breaks the news to the Greggsons about what's happening to their children and asks Jan to stay on the planet to observe humanity's forming of the Overmind.
- Thanthalteresco: This Overlord inspects the colony of Athens and probably saves Jeff's life.
- Vindarten: This is Jan's caretaker while he stays on the Overlord's planet.