64 pages • 2-hour read
Rendezvous with Rama
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Symbols & Motifs
Threes
The number three is a prominent motif throughout the novel, appearing as a consistent pattern in Raman architecture. This motif drives The Mysteries of the Universe and The Beauty of the Other as themes because it underscores the Ramans’ penchant for order and design while also evoking the enigmatic sense that surrounds their way of life. In addition, it links to the importance of threes in human psychology (e.g., in denial, anger, and acceptance as the three stages of grief), religion (e.g., in the Trimurti of Hinduism and the Holy Trinity of the father, son, and holy spirit in Christianity), and science (e.g., in its ability to create balance, stability, and functionality).
The pattern first appears in Chapter 4 when the Endeavour lands on Rama’s north pole, settling in between three identical pillboxes that ring the axis of Rama. Norton later observes the pattern of threes in Chapter 7 when he mentions it in his video message to his wives. Whenever the Endeavour’s crew sees an object that repeats itself in a pattern of threes, it reminds them that the Ramans carefully designed their ship to fit their values and way of life. In the absence of aesthetic structures, such as a building or temple, the pattern of threes is the only evidence that Ramans process numerical patterns in the same way that humans do.
Without the Ramans to explain their reasons for prizing the number three, the reasoning behind that pattern is lost on the humans. The only hint they get of such justification comes near the end of their journey when they break into the Raman catalog. Based on the harness hologram they find, they deduce that the Ramans may have three legs and three arms. This speculation is merely an assumption, however: Any certainty about what the threes really mean to the Ramans remains outside the realm of human knowledge.
The Flower
The lone flower that Jimmy finds on the southern continent is a motif for The Beauty of the Other. The flower becomes the object of Jimmy’s interest in Chapter 30 after he encounters a series of inexplicable fields on the trek back to the Cylindrical Sea. Jimmy is uncertain if what he sees is really a flower or if he’s merely projecting his idea of a flower onto the object because it resembles one.
Nevertheless, he wants to have it because “[t]he strange miracle, the un-Raman-like accident of its existence here remind[s] him of all that he w[ill] never see again” (180). The phrasing of this passage could refer to the solar system that Jimmy may never see again or to the plains of Rama once it reaches perihelion. In either case, Jimmy is suddenly struck by the realization of how rare and precious it is for something to exist, and even more so for something else to encounter it and recognize its beauty. This interpretation becomes reflexive once Jimmy realizes that he’s killing the flower to claim it. Rationalizing the death of the flower, he thinks to himself, “I’ve murdered something beautiful […] But then Rama had killed him” (182). He affirms that his value equals that of the flower. In the entire universe, there’s only one Jimmy Pak, and he may meet his death because of a cruel accident of nature. This impresses the idea that it’s a remarkable feat to cause death because it robs the universe of a wholly unique object.
The Biots
In the latter half of the novel, the biots are a recurring symbol for Raman civilization. The biots first appear in Chapter 29 when Jimmy encounters a large, crab-like creature on the southern continent. More biots appear after Jimmy’s rescue on the Cylindrical Sea, heralding the widespread emergence of biots on both continents.
The novel distinguishes the biots from the Ramans themselves, whom the humans acknowledge as the creators of the biots. The biots fulfill a hierarchy of specialized functions, which becomes the basis of Rousseau’s classification system. Their functionality speaks to the Ramans’ advanced ability to design a vessel that can sustain their civilization throughout an extended voyage. Although Rama never reveals its total capability to the humans, their exposure to the biots gives them a glimpse of it.
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