In the myth of Orpheus, the musician Orpheus descends into the
underworld to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice. Hades, lord of the
underworld, agrees to release Eurydice, as long as Orpheus agrees not
to look at her as she follows him up to the surface. As they travel,
curiosity overcomes Orpheus and he looks back at his wife before she
has fully stepped over the border between the underworld and the
surface. She vanishes.
In Poul Anderson's science fiction story "Goat Song," a computer
overlord called SUM keeps a digital record of all human souls, which it
can use to revive a dead person at any time. The main character, a
musician, travels deep into SUM's underground fortress to beg for his
lost love's return. SUM agrees, but as a test of loyalty, it declares that
the musician must not look upon his love until they have both exited
the underground facility. Like Orpheus, the musician feels compelled to
look back at the last moment, and he loses her.
Which statement best explains how the modern story transforms the ideas of
the original myth?
OA. Anderson makes the original myth more complete by telling the
story from the woman's perspective rather than the musician's.
OB. Anderson includes a godlike character in his story who sets the
rules that the musician must follow if he is to get what he wants.
OC. Anderson emphasizes his main character's feelings, which helps
explain why the character would foolishly look back at his love.
D. Anderson replaces the power of the gods with the power of
technology, providing a technological explanation for how life
could be restored to the dead.