Varieties of The Fantastic in Fiction

  I think that “The Other Town” was written to remind us of how scarily accurate technology has advanced, and to remind us to appreciate what is real. In “The Other Town,” it mentions how realistic the replicated items are, such as with the exact patterns of glass and the growth patterns of flowers. This story made me think about how far technology has advanced and to wonder if it will ever go as far as to replicate items in our world. I think that this has occurred with 3d printing and artificial intelligence and with other aspects of technology. Technology has reached a high point with the invention of deep fakes, in which software is used to create a realistic looking video using speech patterns, facial recognition, and tone of voice to create something that seems real. Deep fake technology is becoming increasingly more accurate as artificial intelligence also progresses. Deep fake technology can replicate the speech patterns of celebrities –this can be very dangerous. How far is this concept from the replication in “The Other Town?” 

      This story exists to remind us to appreciate the differences that we come across in life, as it makes something like a chip on a mug unique. Without the existence of what someone may call flaws, everything would be identical. If items and people were identical, uniqueness would be unnoticed and discouraged. ‘The Other Town” encourages people to look for those details just like the group of people in the story who spend time looking for flaws in the replication process. This story reminds us to also look for the beauty in things and to appreciate what is around us, for it could be replaced with a replication at any time. Like with “The Other Town,” people focus on the detail of fake items and don’t pay attention to other items, as they are distracted by the vanity of things. The story also makes a point to remind us to look at the big picture and to look at it clearly, instead of looking at it in a simplistic way. 

   In the story, the narrator states that the other town allows people to cross forbidden boundaries in life.  In our lives, we have to think about what we could accomplish if we look at everything and not just what seems convenient, such as looking only at patterns of stains of coffee mugs instead of worrying about difficult circumstances. If we don’t look at everything our opportunities are limited, just like with the closed doors to rooms in the story. Parallel to the story, the opportunities we can go to are hidden like items. This is a metaphor for the saying that something is “behind closed doors” or seems unreachable but is nearby if you find a way. We must learn to not be materialistic and waste resources. We must explore and try new things to find what works, instead of just trying what is there and seems the easiest.