Are the aliens really "wrong"?

[TwilightxSagaxLover]

I have read this book so many times and each time i read it it gets to me. If you look beyond the text at what Wanda says and thinks and what the other souls do think and say you will see that by far they were right. If you pay attention to the world around us, you will quickly see how terrible of a world we live in. People die in there sleep because people kill them, people die on the street, people are burned, and then there are even more vicious murders and homicides and even suicides going on. So the question i am asking is if someone else could do a better job? I mean other species don't go out killing there own kind when they hold a grudge or feel like killing. Dogs and cats and birds and whales don't goo slaughter there loved ones or even people they don't know when they have a drive to kill. So why is that we all think it is okay to do so? I mean i believe SM took a stand when writing this book, a stand i greatly admire. I admire her because she saw the truth in the world that everyone else is too afraid to open their eyes and see. I see how the souls thought they could do a better job because when they came they were able to live in peace with each and no one died because someone else felt like killing. They could even cure a disease like cancer with one simple medication because they somehow figured it out. I believe they figured it out because without having o pay for things and being able to co-exist with other countries and not having to fight over money and land and freedom because everyone has it, they are able to discover more things. I think the souls life style is amazing because they all did their parts so no one had to pay for anything because they serviced the community and were paid back with with food and homes and clothes at no cost. I would like to know why it is we can not seem to co-exist with other worlds and ourselves?

[Marcela]

I think your belief systems may come into play with the answer to the original question. I believe human nature is inherently selfish and probably evil. There's no way for everyone to have their free will/free choice and exist in a peaceful state. It's a nice theory though. But to take over someone's body and force them to cease to exist, is morally wrong to me. In essance, they're killing the humans. I don't equate animal life on the same plane as human life, so saying we kill animals doesn't work for me as a comparison. (But there is no justification for being cruel to them either.)

I am not normally a sci fi reader so The Host was a huge stretch for me to even consider reading. Heck, so was the Twilight series not being a vampire fan either. All of it is best kept in the realm of fantasy for me and I have to try not to examine it all too deeply

[Black]

I don't equate animal life on the same plane as human life, so saying we kill animals doesn't work for me as a comparison.

I believe that a life is a life no matter who it belongs to.

[bodysnatcher]

TwilightxSagaxLover, I think you make an intersting point. It made me think about Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, because in the book there is also a dystopian society, where everyone is living literally by every law of the Bible. They do this to get rid of the corruption in society at the time (extremists, lesbians, gays, feminists, etc.) However, the novel shows that there can never be a "perfect society" because humans will always be overcome by natural desires. Just like the humans in The Host, the "perfect society" is based on corruption. The Aliens are corrupt because they are literally STEALING and robbing humans of their lives, by exterminating their minds. That in itseld is killing.

The aliens may not have bad intentions, but they show that the world can not exist in a "perfect society". We need to have sorrow, dread, and loss to know what love, happiness, and passion is. There is no question. How else will we differentiate?

[threethings]

I don't equate animal life on the same plane as human life, so saying we kill animals doesn't work for me as a comparison.

I believe that a life is a life no matter who it belongs to.

I agree with this. I'm an animal lover, and it doesn't matter. Killing is killing.

bodysnatcher, good points. I was reading something about Sir Walter Raleigh, and he though that coming to "The New World" he could have a perfect society. It will never work, humans are humans.

[sarah!]

I don't equate animal life on the same plane as human life, so saying we kill animals doesn't work for me as a comparison.

I believe that a life is a life no matter who it belongs to.

I agree with this. I'm an animal lover, and it doesn't matter. Killing is killing.

bodysnatcher, good points. I was reading something about Sir Walter Raleigh, and he though that coming to "The New World" he could have a perfect society. It will never work, humans are humans.

Yeah, Chloe, I agree. I don't care what it is, but I hate it when something or someone is killed.

[VampireAlternative]

I think that the human nature is too, not to say centered on themselves, but still thinking mostly of them. It is impossible to create a utopian civilisation with the humans as they are now.
But when the souls took over, some stuck around. That fact made the cords between human beings tighten, made them think of the others as family. As the souls started to become more and more like the humans, I think that they would have made the same mistakes as them with time. Only the rebel humans became more compassionate, as the human nature suggests that, in a danger situation, you only think about saving your own skin. They didn't. They took care of the others around them, too. A family bond was between every rebel human in the novel. To get to my point, I think that if the souls were to leave the Earth now, leave the bodies, the human rule will start over again on Earth, but this time without commiting the same mistakes. Because of the souls, the humans have learned that they are all a united family.
I do not think that the souls were right to take the humans, no. They had no right over it. But I only want to say that it had some effects on the rebels, made them realize they have to stick together. I think that if the souls left, the world would start over again, but it would be better.

[bodysnatcher]

I think that the human nature is too, not to say centered on themselves, but still thinking mostly of them. It is impossible to create a utopian civilisation with the humans as they are now.
But when the souls took over, some stuck around. That fact made the cords between human beings tighten, made them think of the others as family. As the souls started to become more and more like the humans, I think that they would have made the same mistakes as them with time. Only the rebel humans became more compassionate, as the human nature suggests that, in a danger situation, you only think about saving your own skin. They didn't. They took care of the others around them, too. A family bond was between every rebel human in the novel. To get to my point, I think that if the souls were to leave the Earth now, leave the bodies, the human rule will start over again on Earth, but this time without commiting the same mistakes. Because of the souls, the humans have learned that they are all a united family.
I do not think that the souls were right to take the humans, no. They had no right over it. But I only want to say that it had some effects on the rebels, made them realize they have to stick together. I think that if the souls left, the world would start over again, but it would be better.

I absolutely agree with what you have to say. This really brought into perspective the message Stephenie Meyer intended to convey with this novel, and demnostrates her growth as a writer.

[Aradia]

This question is all about moral and ethics, and right and wrong.

Were the Souls wrong? Yes! They wanted peace and harmony without killing, but by taking the plant they killed off the human race. They made people dissapper but kept their body. That in my mind is killing.

Could we co-exist? Probably not. If Souls were just implanted into killers and pyschopaths, it would help out the society but whose to say that one side won't get more greedy than the other. Honestly, there is no right answer to this question because both sides think they are right. The souls think they could improve our world, but by taking over..it isn't OUR world anymore. Humans believe in a free world where people can live equally, but we as a race are selfish and want to keep things to ourselves. So no one can win this arguement.

[CptCanada]

Hey everyone, I just finished reading “The Host” and I have some questions and observations I need to get off my chest. I would really enjoy to hear your take on my theories and hope to hear yours as well

Wanda states that the souls are all peaceful, loving and caring creatures, that are essentially above committing any evil. When asked how the souls justified an invasion on the unwilling humans, she gives some convincing reasons. Humans are polluting the earth, raging war, and showed a lack of kindness greater than any other species. But how do the Souls justify the invasion of the “See weeds”? They were sentient beings who were more peaceful then either the souls or the humans. Yet the kind, loving and peaceful souls invaded their bodies against their will. The argument used by Wanda that most species welcome the souls (spiders) or simply do not care, does not apply to the See weeds. A large portion of the population committed mass suicide and chose death over captivity. In reality the soul’s belief systems are very similar to those of the Nazi’s during WW2. Other humans were seen as evil, and were viewed in the same manor souls saw humans. The Nazi’s actually felt good about what they were doing and believed they were above the rest of earth. This is the exact same mentally the souls themselves have, they view other lives as trivial and an experience, but risking their own life to save another species would never be remotely considered.

In my opinion if the souls were straightforward and honest about what they were doing, there actions would be justifiable in my eyes. They are not acting for some higher purpose and are not "angels" of the universe. They are exactly like humans, they feed off of other to survive and prosper. The humans raise and slaughter animals for food, the souls do the same to other species.