August 2005: The Old Ones Summary

The elderly from Earth have begun to come to Mars. Following the pioneers, the workers, the sophisticates, and the government, these "mummy people" are the final colonizers. Their arrival on the planet completes the transformation of Mars into a copy of Earth.

August 2005: The Old Ones Analysis

While short, this chapter shows readers the completion of the colonization of Mars. With the arrival of the elderly, all populations are now represented on the new planet. Up to this point in the novel, each step in colonization has brought the next step: the pioneers brought the workers, the workers brought the sophisticates, and the sophisticates brought the government. Now, with the completion of the circle, one can only assume a new phase in the novel, as this completion foreshadows the eventual destruction and abandonment of Mars.