Deep Ecology and Colonialism in "The Elephants on Neptune"

Introduction: Anthropomorphism and Deep Ecology

One of the difficulties inherent in writing about animals is that a writer is always forced to use anthropomorphic language to convey the animal's thought processes and relationship with the human world. There is a tendency to anthropomorphize animals — to see them as lesser-developed humans, or to idealize them as somehow more pure than humans and more removed from the petty cares of human life. However, according to the principles of the Deep Ecology movement, seeing animals in human terms is not the answer. Rather, seeing human life in its appropriate context — in relation to the other species of the world — is what is required for the planet to prosper. One of the principles of the Deep Ecology movement, as articulated in its platform, is that "the well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth; intrinsic value; inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes" (Naess & Sessions 2010).

The idealization of animals can be seen in the opening of Mike Resnick's short story "The Elephants on Neptune." "They were a remarkable race, the elephants on Neptune. They lived out their lives in peace and tranquility; they never argued among themselves, the old were always gentle with the young. When one was born, the entire herd gathered to celebrate. When one died, the entire herd mourned its passing. There were no animosities, no petty jealousies, no unresolved quarrels." Resnick's story does reflect some of the knowledge that humans possess about elephants as a species — namely that elephants tend to live in herds, are intelligent, and show great affection for one another. These elephants, however, are highly idealized versions of the real thing, and reflect the ideals that humans hold for themselves more than those that elephants would have for their own species.

The Elephants' Idyll and Human Encroachment

As the elephants become more like humans over the course of the story, they become more corrupt, and ultimately the narrative is revealed to be less about elephants and more about the colonization of so-called primitive peoples.

At the beginning of the story, the elephants' idyll on the remote planet of Neptune is disturbed by the encroachment of the human species, as the elephants note the "ominous-looking weapons" carried by the men. The men speak of the "deep bond between men and elephants," but the elephants point out how their species was used to forcibly destroy others in war, and how they were either hunted to near extinction for their ivory tusks or put on display in spectacles such as circuses. The humans are obviously disingenuous in their intentions, given their show of violent weaponry.

The two species engage in dialogue, during which the elephants recount the great crimes inflicted against their people, while the humans cite their accomplishments as proof of inherent greatness. "We're a race that can boast of magnificent accomplishments: the internal combustion engine, splitting the atom, reaching the planets, curing cancer… what have you got to equal that?" demands one of the human leaders.

Dialogue, Colonialism, and Role Reversal

In response, the elephants say, "We live our lives free of sin… We respect each other's beliefs, we don't harm our environment, and we have never made war on other elephants." Some of the men — particularly the Jewish man, a member of a persecuted race — sympathize with the elephants' worldview, although others do not. "You'd put that up against the heart transplant, the silicon chip, and the three-dimensional television screen?" asks the leader, with just a touch of condescension. While the elephants, because of their ability to communicate telepathically, largely speak as a collective unit, the men do not — each man expresses different feelings and emotions to the elephants.

The twist of Resnick's story occurs when the elephants spontaneously evolve into humans and the humans, under the strange influence of the planet, evolve into elephants. At the end of the story, there is a complete role reversal: the elephants take on human characteristics (such as violent impulses and meat-eating) and eventually shoot the humans in revenge for the crimes perpetrated against their species. Gradually it becomes clear that the story is not about the relationship between humans and elephants, but about the relationship between humans and marginalized, colonized people across the globe.

On "Neptune" — which functions as a metaphor for Earth — things evolve quickly. The elephants rapidly evolve into beings that can breathe without spacesuits, as do the human beings. Although this is depicted in fantastical terms within the story, the rate at which human beings have themselves evolved is likewise dramatic, if in a troubling direction. The Earth's temperature has increased substantially in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, climbing particularly fast since the 1980s as development became more widespread across the globe. Humans have evolved from a self-sustaining species — as manifest in native, tribal cultures — into a social species entirely dependent upon technology and mechanized processes for sustenance.

Conclusion: Deep Ecology and the Limits of Allegory

Lugones, Leopoldo. (2007). Yzur. ERBZine. 1869. Retrieved December 13, 2010 at http://www.erbzine.com/mag18/yzur.htm

Naess, Arne & George Sessions. (2010). Deep Ecology Platform. Foundation for Deep Ecology. Retrieved December 13, 2010 at

Resnick, Mike. (2001). The Elephants on Neptune. Asimov's Science Fiction. Retrieved December 13, 2010 at