“ The Wrong Side of Heaven , the Righteous Side of Hell ”
enable them “ to ascend to see the works of Yahweh ” while allowing Yahweh to “ descend to see the works of man ” ( 6 ). In this story , Ted Chiang combines the above definitions of religion as a “ search for meaning , purpose and significance ” as well as the desire for material and spiritual improvement ( Popcak ).
In addition to religion as a thematic focus , Chiang also incorporates geocentrism : a specific , albeit outdated , “ scientific worldview ” ( Smith ). As Alexander Robishaw explains :
The envisaged structure is simple : Earth was seen as being situated in the middle of a great volume of water , with water both above and below Earth . A great dome was thought to be set above Earth ( like an inverted glass bowl ), maintaining the water above Earth in its place . Earth was pictured as resting on foundations that go down into the deep . These foundations secured the stability of the land as something that is not floating on the water and so could not be tossed about by wind and wave . The waters surrounding Earth were thought to have been gathered together in their place . The stars , sun , moon , and planets moved in their allotted paths across the great dome above Earth , with their movements defining the months , seasons , and year . ( 60 )
Chiang brilliantly describes the geocentric worldview through the protagonist of the story , Hillalum , who is an Elamite miner , contracted to dig into the vault of heaven . He , along with other Elamite miners , spends four months climbing to the top of the tower . Along the way , he discovers
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