Solaris | Themes

Solaris Themes

Solaris's Ocean as God

Throughout Solaris, there are parallels between the ocean and God. The ocean is a creator, but mankind cannot understand it or interpret the meanings or reasons behind its creations. It is capable of creating sentient human life in the form of Rheya, who is a fully functioning human who only differs from normal people at the subatomic level.

If the ocean is a type of god, then the scientists who study it are a kind of religious sect. They try to find meaning and explanations for the inexplicable activities of the ocean, which seems to have the power to do anything. One writer claims that "contact" is just a code for religious epiphany or revelation, and this seems to be what Kelvin looks for at the end of the novel, when he seeks to find meaning by staying on the station and studying Solaris. Is mankind even capable of understanding...
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