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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Foundation, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Historical Forces vs. Individual Effort
Religion as a Tool of Control
Crisis and Adaptation
Power and Governance
Summary
Analysis
Gaal Dornick, a young mathematician from the planet Synnax, travels to the Galactic capital of Trantor to join Hari Seldon’s enigmatic project. Although he has previously journeyed within his own planetary system, this is his first interstellar voyage and experience with the hyperspace Jump. Excited to see Trantor, Gaal spends time in the ship’s View-room, observing star clusters and nebulae. As they approach their destination, the ship closes the View-room for landing preparations. Gaal asks an officer if he can stay to glimpse Trantor from space, but the officer denies his request due to safety concerns during the sun-side descent. Disappointed, Gaal accepts that he must wait until after landing to see the planet he has longed to visit.
It is important to note that Foundation was first published as short stories that Asimov then slightly edited and compiled. Each “Part” of the book was originally a standalone story, which is why Asimov will seem to abruptly abandon certain characters and storylines. This opening section introduces the reader to Gaal, an intelligent but naïve young man, who is excited to experience the glory of the Galactic capital Trantor for the first time. This is a novel very much concerned with how empires wield their power and maintain control. The first glimpse of the Galactic Empire in Foundation is actually not a glimpse at all, but rather a continuation of the Empire’s mystique, as Gaal is not allowed to view it from afar.
Themes
