The Fun They Had

“Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.”

The presence of the book, which is a key symbol, introduces the thematic development of Nostalgia for the Past. Margie’s newly acquired knowledge via the book informs the sense of nostalgia she develops over the story’s course. The book is something removed from Margie’s experience by several generations, hinting at the significance of the juxtaposition between past and present from Margie’s perspective.

“They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to—on a screen, you know.”

The irony of depicting a physical book as the “funny” thing, and not the computer screen, would have been clear and amusing to readers in the 1950s when this story was originally published. This description sets the tone for subtle irony further in the story. Additionally, it is an example of Asimov’s commitment to Margie’s close third point of view, specifically as a child who does not really understand the past she comes from or the underlying reasons for the conflict she experiences.

“‘Gee,’ said Tommy, ‘what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more.’”

Tommy’s incorrect assumption that books were intended to be disposed of after each initial reading is ironic given his superior, all-knowing attitude and his frequent jabs at Margie’s ignorance. His misconception further elaborates upon the context the children have for accessing information outside of the physical books of the past, deepening the reader’s understanding of this futuristic world.

“She [Margie] was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen.”

Margie tolerates Tommy’s rudeness in part because she believes his age gives him wisdom and experience that she does not yet have. Her perception contributes to the story’s irony in that Tommy also does not know as much as he pretends to. This irony sets the stage for the external conflict in the story wherein Margie must overcome Tommy’s subtle antagonism to satisfy her own motivations for companionship and access to the book.

“‘What’s it about?’

‘School.’

Margie was scornful. ‘School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.’”

Margie directly and unambiguously identifies school as the source of her frustration and her primary internal conflict in the story. This anti-school sentiment would strike Asimov’s readers at any point in time as relatable and familiar. However, unlike readers of any previous generation leading to the story’s publication, Margie’s reasons for hating school are entirely different than the usual childhood antipathy toward education. For readers of the contemporary age, it strikes an entirely different note of irony and relevance given the development of remote learning and computerized education during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.”

Mrs. Jones’s characterization supports the theme of Isolation and Loneliness. Margie’s relationship with her mother is categorized by disappointment and failure. The irony of the mother figure, who is stereotypically nurturing and comforting, being a primary source of the daughter’s alienation is critical to the story’s exploration of loneliness and human connection.

“He [the County Inspector] smiled at her and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart.”

The County Inspector introduces a common symbol of education, the apple, an item students traditionally gifted to their teachers. That he gives the apple to the student instead hints at the subversion of traditional roles in education. Furthermore, the diction at the end of this quote is shocking despite its simplicity. To modern readers, “took the teacher apart” is almost a threat of violence. Asimov’s word choice forces the reader to recontextualize a teacher as something impersonal and inhuman that cannot be hurt.

“Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. ‘Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.’ He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.’”

Tommy’s characterization as a pseudo-educator of the younger, and therefore more ignorant, Margie subtly references the difficulty educators face in controlling how students access information. Tommy is more or less correct much of the time, but Margie’s acceptance of his information based on a flawed sense of credibility is a vital question to determining appropriate models of education. In a way, Margie makes the same mistake by accepting Tommy as an educator despite several key failings that her own society made in implementing the mechanical teacher as an educator.

“‘Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.’

‘A man? How could a man be a teacher?’”

The dialogue between Tommy and Margie further confirms the ironic degrees of separation between their fictional setting and experiences and the readers’ real-life context. Margie’s simply delivered inability to comprehend a human teacher introduces more layers of juxtaposition between her frustrating and tedious present and the past that grows more interesting and romantic to her with each new thing she learns.

“‘But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid had to be taught differently.’

‘Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.’

‘I didn’t say I didn’t like it,’ Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.”

Tommy’s attempts to provoke Margie result in Margie’s submission to his antagonism. Her motivations have changed from being merely intrigued by the book to needing to read it at any cost, subconsciously having realized that it presents a world of alternate possibilities. In interacting with the book, Margie’s imagination soars. The book becomes a means through which she can escape her fraught relationship with education and loneliness.

“They weren’t even half finished when Margie’s mother called, ‘Margie! School!’”

Margie’s mother reaffirms her role as a source of disconnection for Margie. In breaking the spell of Margie’s time with a friend—and with a source of learning that Margie doesn’t hate—Mrs. Jones breaks Margie from fantasies of the past and returns her to the same dull present driving her internal conflict.

“Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her.”

Margie officially crosses the threshold back to her own life, where the reality of the mechanical teacher is undeniable, and the book can no longer distract her from the inevitable. Describing that the schoolroom and her bedroom are right next to each other shows how small Margie’s world is and creates a sense of claustrophobia that accurately reflects Margie’s feelings.

“The screen was lit up, and it said: ‘Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.’

Margie did so with a sigh.”

With her normal routine assured and inescapable, Margie has no choice but to do schoolwork the way it is expected of her. Her sigh indicates that she is aware that she has achieved no real resolution. Her resignation further highlights the theme of The Consequences of Technological Advancement.