Consequences of Foreign Invasion/Colonization

The predominant theme throughout much of the novel is the catastrophic effects of invasions and colonization of foreign cultures. During the novel, the invasion of Mars by humankind destroys the Martian landscape by building vast cities of non-native materials, burning of the landscape with rocket fires, and the redecoration of the entire planet by Earthlings attempting to make a copy of their world back home. The invasion also kills nearly the entire Martian race, as the foreign disease of chicken pox is brought to the planet by explorers from Earth. The disease, however, acts differently in the metabolism of Martians, burning their bodies, and destroying nearly all the native population. Also responsible for the death of three expeditions of men, the invasion leads to anger, frustration, and jealousy in the Martian populations, and the murder of the explorers. With the planting of trees for...