Stranger in a Strange Land

Back at the hospital, Gillian learns that Smith has been transferred to another facility. She calls Caxton at work but is told he has left town. Caxton, meanwhile, retains a lawyer and “Fair Witness,” James Oliver Cavendish. They arrive at the medical center demanding to see the director but instead are greeted by Gil Berquist, “one of Douglas’s platoon of stooges” (45). Caxton asks to see Smith, but Berquist refuses. When Caxton implies the televised interview was faked, Berquist finally agrees to an interview. He leads Caxton to Smith’s room where the reporter asks Smith if he wants to leave; Smith answers no. When Caxton asks him a question he can’t answer, he retreats into a “trance.” Caxton is convinced this is not Smith. Later, Cavendish comments that a true Martian would not display callouses like a human being due to living in lower gravity. Caxton phones Dr. Nelson, Smith’s doctor, for verification, but Nelson hangs up when the conversation becomes dangerous. He then calls Douglas directly, but the police trace the call, override the robot cab driver, and redirect it to police headquarters.

While Gillian considers Caxton’s absence and Smith’s disappearance, she is called to watch a patient—the woman now occupying Smith’s former room. When she goes into the adjoining sitting room, she finds Smith, who greets her as “water brother.” She is shocked to find him here but also knows she cannot stay. She promises to return.

Soon after, Gillian slips back into Smith’s room. She sneaks him out and takes him to the roof, where they board a taxi headed for Gillian’s apartment. Smith’s attempts at communication are still challenging, but he and Gillian settle into a mutual affability. As they near her apartment, she realizes that is the first place the police would look. Since Caxton is missing, they head to his apartment instead. Caxton’s apartment, however, is only a temporary refuge, and she resolves to find Jubal Harshaw. In the meantime, she runs him a bath, a tremendous privilege from his Martian perspective. While getting him dressed, the authorities—Berquist and another man—break in and try to take Smith into custody. When the other man gets rough with Gillian, Smith reaches for him, and he vanishes. When Berquist pulls a gun, Smith vanishes him as well. Gillian screams, and Smith, fearing he’s done the wrong thing, lapses into one of his low metabolic trances. When she can’t rouse him, she packs him into a suitcase and wheels him out of the building.

Secretary General Douglas discusses Smith’s disappearance with his wife, Agnes, who fears the political opposition will use it against him. She goes to her private suite and consults her astrologer, asking her to cast a horoscope for Smith, a task that proves impossible since Smith was not born on Earth. Eventually, she advises Agnes to remain calm and avoid hasty decisions. Agnes then tells her husband’s public relations advisor to release a statement claiming that Smith has retired to the Andes.

Jubal Harshaw sits by his pool dictating stories to his secretaries—Anne, Dorcas, and Miriam—when Gillian shows up with a still-catatonic Smith. Jubal examines him, believing he’s dead, but suddenly hears a faint heartbeat. Gillian cautions against using stimulants and rouses him herself. After Gillian fills Jubal in on the details of their escape, he orders his assistant to activate the electric fence and conceal all evidence of Smith’s presence.

After a nap, Gillian discusses Smith’s case with Jubal. He doesn’t want to get involved but offers his hospitality nonetheless. After dinner, Gillian looks for a “stereo tank” to watch the news, but the house seems to have no access to the outside world. Meanwhile, Jubal questions his decision to let them stay—sooner or later, he will be confronted by the authorities. After some thought, however, he decides to “strike a blow for liberty” (89).

Martian society differs greatly from its human counterpart. “Nymphs” (young Martians) are female, and adults are male. Sex would not be recognizable to a human. On Earth, Terran “bipolarity” (the male/female dynamic) is unique, driving all human creation from art to science. Time on Mars moves slower than on Earth, the “Old Ones” taking up to a millennium to “grok” (consider/learn thoroughly) a new issue. Most recently, the Old Ones are contemplating the destruction of the “fifth planet.”

Smith, meanwhile, acclimates to Jubal’s home. He reads law and medical journals but mostly enjoys lying at the bottom of the pool in a meditative state. Under Gillian’s tutelage, he quickly adapts to behavioral norms. For his part, Jubal fears the government may be aware of Smith’s location and staking out his compound.

One day, Gillian announces she’s leaving to search for Ben, but Jubal informs her that he’s already dispatched a private detective to investigate. He fears Ben is in danger, not out on a story as his last message implies. He knows of Ben’s visit with the phony Smith, and the cab that Ben and his Fair Witness rode in was reported “in for repairs” (101). Jubal suspects that Berquist is behind Ben’s disappearance. Gillian tells him about Smith disappearing Berquist. Intrigued, Jubal summons Smith and one of his secretaries, Anne (also a licensed Fair Witness), to his study to see if Smith can repeat the trick.