Science Fiction Should Embody and Promote Core American Values of Freedom and Self-Reliance
Source: Graham Bradley. "Telling A Very American Story On Mars." May 26, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that a new science fiction novel successfully tells an 'American story' because it focuses on the core American value of choosing difficult freedom over comfortable subjugation. He believes good fiction should capture and promote essential cultural values, and this Mars-based story does that by making its characters face the same 'live free or die' choice that has defined American history.
Conclusion
Travis Corcoran's 'Red State Mars' successfully tells an authentically American story by embedding the fundamental American question 'What will you pay to be free?' into a futuristic Mars setting
Premises
- The central pillar of American identity is the willingness to go to hard places and do hard things to achieve self-reliance and freedom
- American history was built by ordinary people who embraced hardship for the chance of success and freedom, not by the wealthy elite
- The American pioneer spirit of expansion and frontier-seeking continues even as earthly frontiers are exhausted, now extending to space
- Corcoran's novel authentically captures this American essence by forcing Martian colonists to choose between comfortable subjugation under Chinese rule or costly freedom through resistance
- The novel's central question 'What will you pay to be free?' mirrors the same fundamental choice faced by America's Founding Fathers
- Good fiction should do more than entertain - it should capture and transmit the true essence of an entire culture through compelling narrative
Assumptions
- There exists a distinct and identifiable 'American character' defined by self-reliance and willingness to sacrifice for freedom
- Historical American pioneers were primarily motivated by freedom rather than economic opportunity or other factors
- The American spirit is fundamentally different from other national characters
- Literature has the power and responsibility to preserve and transmit cultural values
- The choice between comfort and freedom is a timeless and universal American dilemma