The Green Glass Sea

The theme of The Ethical Implications of Scientific Discovery is alluded to as a primary theme in these chapters through the references to the development of the atomic bomb. The importance of the secret scientific project frames the story’s narrative; the lives of the children at Los Alamos have been shaped by their parents’ work and continue to be affected by the long hours they work. Suze justifies her loneliness due to her parents’ long hours through patriotism, reasoning that: “Whatever the scientists were working on was going to end the war” (60-61).

The events of the novel are framed through the child lens of either Suze or Dewey; hence, Suze reflects that the “it” that her father discussed with his colleagues “was probably the gadget gun” (94). She reasons that the project, which the reader understands to be the development of the atomic bomb, is likely a gadget gun, as this is an idea she has come across in her comic books, which “good guys” use to fight “bad guys.” Suze considers the war in these terms as she listens to her father’s conversation with his colleague about the war: “‘Still, we’re getting there. And maybe we won’t need to? The Allies are just outside Paris. It won’t be long.’ ‘Good news,’ agreed her father. ‘But there’s still the Japs. We may need it there’” (94). The historical event of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is alluded to and foreshadowed in the men’s conversation.

The secrecy surrounding the project continues to be explored in these chapters. The absolute secrecy of the existence of the town is illustrated in the censorship of Suze’s picture: “Once she had drawn a picture for Gramma Weiss, the view from her bedroom, the stick-your-head-out view, which had been very hard to draw. But the stupid old censor sent it back and said it wasn’t allowed” (62). Furthermore, the army presence and the need for code names become a normalized and integrated part of the children’s world; Suze tells the other girls that “my daddy’s just a fizzler” (67), the code name for physicists. Furthermore, Barbara’s nonchalant greeting of Sergeant Walter reveals that an armed presence outside of her house is a regular part of her day-to-day life at Los Alamos: “‘Hi, Sergeant Walter,’ Barbara said to the military policeman who stood guard outside her house” (66).

Klages explores other interesting aspects of living in a town of scientists. The school is populated with an unusual proportion of intelligent children, given that the majority of the children at Los Alamos are the children of at least one high-level scientist: “Lots of kids on the Hill, Suze included, had been the smartest kids in their old schools” (77). Dewey happily reflects that she is allowed to do advanced math with an older grade and that, unlike in other places she has lived, “no one ever told her she asked too many questions” (71). Furthermore, “everywhere she went, there were men just as smart as Papa—or just as clever—who would help her figure out how to fix a busted clock or radio or motor, take it apart, and explain how it worked” (71). Science is a shared passion at Los Alamos and continues to function as a recurring motif that connects many of the characters and connects the socially isolated Dewey to her father and the adult portion of her community.

Unfortunately, however, Dewey is treated as an outcast by her peers. The theme of Social Inclusion and Exclusion and the Importance of Human Connection is explored in the cruel taunts leveled at Dewey; referring to Jack and Charlie, who are well-liked and accepted by their peers, Joyce asks, “Why would they be hanging around with that four-eyed gimp?” (77). Barbara agrees, mocking Dewey’s shoe, which she needs to wear because of her legs of unequal length: “If I had to wear that ugly shoe, I’d never leave my house” (77). Dewey is the target of a relentless campaign of bullying and exclusion, as is illustrated in this exchange, as well as in her nickname “Screwy Dewey” (78).

Suze, too, suffers from bullying and social exclusion. Her desire for inclusion is illustrated in the hopeful way she suggests that Barbara, Joyce, and Betty will come with her to buy cokes:

‘I’m going to the PX for a Coke,’ she said in a loud voice and looked across at the other stoop. ‘The Tech PX.’ She held her breath, waiting for someone to say what a swell idea that was, and maybe they’d come along. But they almost never did anything she said (65).

Suze’s social exclusion is further established when the girls mock her idea to cut through the tech area and when she is intentionally excluded from entering the shop—“She [Betty] brushed by her and held the screen door open for Joyce and Barbara, letting it bang shut just before Suze reached it”—and then left there by herself (85).

Klages explores the way that cruel behavior is often borne out of insecurity; Suze is bullied and, therefore, is a bully to Dewey, hoping that this will gain the approval and social acceptance of Joyce, Betty, and Barbara. When Charlie calls Dewey a “good egg,” Suzie cruelly retorts: “‘Rotten egg’s more like it,’ said Suze loudly, so the other girls would know she was on their side” (79). Even though Suze bullies Dewey in this exchange, the eventual friendship between the two girls is foreshadowed by the fact that they are both outcasts.

Coming of Age is referred to obliquely in Suze’s immature and cruel mocking of Dewey in order to fit in. Later, Suze will learn to be authentic to who she is and not to try to win the affection of her rude and exclusionary classmates by putting others down. In future chapters, Suze will bravely defend Dewey to these same girls in the same location; therefore, this early characterization of Suze serves to illustrate her later maturity.