Childhood's End

Karellen is the only character present in the novel from beginning to end. Karellen, as an Overlord, appears as a devil with horns, wings, and a spiked tail. Karellen has wide-set eyes and a face described as “rigid” and “betrayed no trace of emotion” (134). As George notices about Rashaverak, the Overlords are not actually humanoid when viewed up close. However, even though Karellen’s face generally doesn’t show emotion, his voice often conveys amusement, affection, and only once, anger. Even though Karellen doesn’t seem to change over the course of the novel, his relationship to humanity does deepen, and at the end of the novel, he looks back at his experience with Earth and “saluted the men he had known, whether they had hindered or helped him in his purpose” (218).

He is always portrayed as benevolent, even though he is the instrument through which the Overmind subsumes Earth’s children. He clearly has affection for Stormgren, and he demonstrates trust in his first human contact when he allows Stormgren to see his form in apparent violation of his orders. In his final speech to mankind, he describes himself and his Overlord companions as the midwives of humanity’s next phase. He behaves more as a kindly father figure, affectionately protecting humanity and gently shepherding them toward an end he believes is best for them. Like a father, Karellen has the power and the knowledge to force humans to do as he commands. As a result, he is also an archetype of authoritarian rule, even as his authoritarianism appears generally benevolent.

Importantly, Karellen is also an individual. Although humans have difficulty differentiating one Overlord from another, it is their inherent individuality that prevents them from evolving into the Overmind as humanity does. Karellen views this as the ultimate tragedy of his existence—that he must watch the advancement of other species while being entirely aware of his species’ stagnation. Therefore, Karellen represents an argument against individualism: that there is a limit to the achievement possible for any one individual, even one as advanced as Karellen.

Stormgren acts as a bridge between humanity and the Overlords as well as a representative of the conflicting feelings humanity has about the presence of the Overlords. Stormgren is 60 at the beginning of the novel, and nearing retirement. He takes his position very seriously and understands the challenge of navigating the conversation between Karellen and the human world. He is a widower, and his children are grown, so his only real purpose is contained in his job. He has already experienced The Tragedy of Parenthood in the common universal sense, as his own children have grown up and left to start their own lives, and this likely is part of the reason he connects emotionally with Karellen. Stormgren believes in the Overlords and repeatedly asserts they have benefitted mankind so profoundly that their motives must be benevolent.

Although he is deeply loyal to Karellen and believes in the benevolence of the Overlords, he also has the inherent human traits of suspicion and curiosity, which lead him to become obsessed with penetrating the secrecy of Karellen and the Overlords. Even though he trusts Karellen and has affection for him, “he would never be satisfied until he had […] discovered what kind of creature he may be” (30). That dissatisfaction with the knowledge he possesses, to place Karellen in some familiar category, demonstrates Stormgren’s function as a representative of human independence and curiosity. He also represents the capacity of humanity for loyalty, because even when he does discover Karellen’s true form, he takes the secret to his grave rather than exposing his friend.