Cosmic

The rocket ship, the Infinite Possibility, is a symbol of ambition, risk, and hope for the future. Its sheer size is overwhelming: “The Infinite Possibility was two hundred feet high. At the top you could feel it swaying in the wind. And you could hear the wind rolling in and out of the pipes and engines, sobbing and sighing and generally sounding miserable” (273). Liam’s observation gives the rocket a living, almost haunted presence, emphasizing both its power and danger.

Dr. Drax presents the rocket as a gift to the next generation, even calling it an apology for the damage done to Earth. The rocket’s name, Infinite Possibility, reflects the idea of exploring the unknown and of creating new worlds. Liam feels the looming danger of what he’s getting into, describing “the cool shadow of the rocket at my back” (247), which is a metaphor for danger, pressure, and the irreversible step toward adulthood. Because the rocket propels the children into space and toward extreme experiences, it also becomes a symbol of Growing Up and Becoming Responsible.

In Cosmic, World of Warcraft becomes a motif that demonstrates Liam’s longing for escapism, belonging, and control. Video games are often a childhood endeavor, and Liam’s need to retreat into gaming represents his resistance to the thematic weight of Growing Up and Becoming Responsible. In addition, the gaming world doesn’t judge him for his height. In the game, Liam is not the overly tall, awkward boy whom people misunderstand; he’s a powerful elf with friends and adventures. He enjoys that no one judges him for his height or his age. When he tries to show his dad, his father doesn’t understand and even seems to pity him slightly.

Liam also uses World of Warcraft as a way to make sense of people. When dealing with Florida’s difficult personality, he frames her according to the game’s world: “You just had to think of her as a kind of monster and remember that every monster has a soft zone” (113). This humorously shows how he uses the game’s logic to approach real-life relationships. Later, when Liam looks down at the Moon from space, he describes it as having “looked like the map of an imaginary realm in a Warcraft manual” (287), showing how deeply the game influences his worldview.

Earth symbolizes both home and the theme of How a Change in Environment Can Change One’s Perspective. As Liam and the children leave the atmosphere, they’re struck by how familiar, fragile, and precious Earth seems: “It was the size of a golf ball and too blue to be true. Obviously we’d none of us ever seen the world from this angle. But we’d all seen pictures and it looked just like that. Our Earth. Our home” (318). Calling it their home indicates a shared, emotional understanding between them.

Seeing Earth from space forces a dramatic shift in perspective for Liam and the others. Liam muses, “There’s something about the way the Earth just sits there in the middle of all that blackness, with nothing holding it up, that makes you worry about it” (319). This sense of wonder and vulnerability reflects how space exploration amplifies emotion, forcing the characters to re-evaluate what matters. All the children except Liam eventually decide that they prefer life in space because it’s free of the responsibilities of Earth life, though they know they must return home and ultimately are happy to do so. Though Earth remains far away physically, it’s ever-present. Earth is thus a reminder of love, home, and the comforts of normal life. Even as Liam matures and grows through the space journey, the planet below remains a constant anchor to who he was and where he belongs.

The Moon represents distance, isolation, and emotional closure in Cosmic. Orbiting it becomes both a literal and metaphorical journey. For Liam, being so close to the moon emphasizes how far he’s come from childhood. He’s forced to navigate loneliness and fear completely on his own. The dark side of the moon mirrors Liam’s feelings of insignificance.

In addition, the Moon is a canvas for the children’s legacy, as they can leave on it whatever impression they choose. The children’s message to humanity symbolizes their mark on history, despite being young, as the story ends with their leaving footprints to form the words “Hello, Dad” on the lunar surface. This is not just a message to Liam’s father, but a tribute to all the fathers who have ever existed, emphasizing the theme of The Importance of Fatherhood. It represents the story’s emotional arc, including how pretending to be a father led Liam to deeply understand the love, protection, and fear that come with it. The Moon is thus the emotional high point of Liam’s experience. It’s where the characters face their greatest tests, confront their deepest truths, and finally understand the thematic meaning of Growing Up and Becoming Responsible.